s/n 1039GT

250 bhp at 7,000 rpm, 2,953 cc SOHC alloy block-and-head V-12 engine, triple Weber carburettors, four-speed manual gearbox, independent front suspension with A-arms and coil springs, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 2,600 mm

• One of the most desirable competition-bred Ferraris extant

• Alloy coachwork and V-12 power

• Desirable covered headlamps; one of 36 “single-louver” examples

• Ferrari Classiche-certified and matching numbers

• Restoration by marque specialists in Italy

The Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta not only has breathtaking looks, it remains arguably the greatest and most important Ferrari road/racing car ever built. Its forerunner was the 250 MM, so-named after the famous Mille Miglia race, which hard-charging Italian hillclimb champion Giovanni Bracco won for Ferrari in 1952. That achievement, plus Ferrari’s first World Driver’s Championship win with Alberto Ascari driving the Type 500 and the company’s first collaboration with Pinin Farina (the 212 Inter cabriolet) combined to make the year 1952 a particularly significant one in the marque’s history.

THE 250 GT LWB BERLINETTA

The last 250 MMs had been built by 1954, and work began on what would become the 250 GT Berlinetta Tour de France. A new strengthened 2,600-mm tubular chassis was equipped with a modern wishbone/coil-spring suspension and the Colombo Tipo 112 “short-block” V-12 engine. Subsequently, this engine was developed further and re-designated Tipo 128B, C and D. Three more 250 GTs similar to the 250 MM followed the prototype Pinin Farina-bodied Berlinetta, 0369 GT, between April and July 1955.

That October, another car was shown at the Paris Salon and was the first design with many side louvers set within the rear sail-panels. Pinin Farina made two more prototypes, one of which was owned by the Marquis de Portago from Spain. At Nassau in December 1955, he scored the first victory for the car, a record that would reach epic proportions by the end of the decade. The Le Mans tragedy of 1955, where Peter Levegh’s Mercedes flew into a crowd of spectators, killing 80 and injuring another 200, prompted the creation of a new Gran Turismo category with an engine capacity of 3.0 litres, which would play directly into Ferrari’s hands in 1956.

Not to be outdone by Pinin Farina, Scaglietti appeared at the 1956 Geneva Motor Show with their own 250 GT prototype, which became known as the limited production, Series I, “14-louvre” 250 GT Berlinetta. The first production car was built in November 1956, and production was now the responsibility of Scaglietti in Modena.

There were five series of 250 GT Berlinettas in all. From mid-1957, the Series II cars were introduced, with three louvers and covered headlights. Just 15 were produced. Series III numbered 36 cars; these retained the covered headlights but had just a single vent louver. In 1959, eight single-louver cars were built with open headlights, a new Italian requirement. Zagato also made five superlight cars.

The real start of the 250 GT Berlinetta’s competition career began in 1956, and the car went on to win more races than either of its legendary successors, the 250 GT SWB and the GTO. Olivier Gendebien won the GT class in the Tour of Sicily at the beginning of 1956, but that year’s Tour de France was 250 GT Berlinetta’s most important race and propelled the car into the annals of motorsport history.

The Tour de France took five or six days and covered almost 5,000 gruelling kilometres around France, sometimes venturing into Italy, Belgium or Germany. The race consisted of up to six circuit races, two hillclimbs and a sprint. In 1956, in de Portago’s first attempt, with Edmund Nelson as co-driver in his Ferrari, he took the victory with Stirling Moss in a Mercedes 300SL second and Gendebien third in the first Pinin Farina ex-works development car, 0357 GT. With this win, ‘Fon’ de Portago earned the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta its enduring sobriquet, the Tour de France. In the hands of Olivier Gendebien, the 250 GT Tour de France was victorious for the next three straight years in the race whose name the car had now unofficially taken, and the car and its enviable competition record remain the stuff of legends today.

CHASSIS 1039 GT

The example offered here, 1039 GT, was supplied new via US Ferrari Importer Luigi Chinetti Motors of Greenwich, Connecticut to its first owner Hastings Harcourt of Santa Barbara, California on 26 November, 1958. Mr. Harcourt was the heir and owner of Harcourt Brace, the well known book publisher. Of particular note, 1039 GT is one of the 39 competition 250 GT LWB Berlinettas originally produced by Ferrari with all-alloy bodywork, the single vent and the desirable covered-headlamp configuration.

1039 GT remained in America for most of its life, and during this phase, it changed hands amongst a number of American collectors, as documented by Ferrari historian Marcel Massini. Early in its life in the United States, Ford units replaced the original engine and gearbox. The original 250 series V-12 engine was later reunited with the TdF, as confirmed by the Ferrari Classiche certification. In 1974, Charles W. Betz and Fred Peters of Orange, California acquired 1039 GT and re-united the TdF with its original Ferrari 250 series V-12 engine and gearbox.

The rare Ferrari remained in America for many years thereafter and was successfully campaigned a number of times at the world-famous Monterey Historic Automobile Races in Laguna Seca during the 1980s. In the early 1990s, 1039 GT was sold to Switzerland, and there, it joined an important Swiss-based private automobile collection. The prominent owner used the car sparingly in Switzerland and abroad, when it was driven on the Tour Auto in 1997 and in 1999. He retained 1039 GT for many years, and in 2005, it was certified by the Ferrari Classiche program, which confirms that the car retains its engine and all of its main components the way it was built by the factory, and therefore, it is indeed a true matching-numbers example.

The car was restored in Italy by some of the finest recognised Ferrari specialists in the Modena area, the birthplace of Ferrari. The engine was entrusted to Diena, who performed a full rebuild, Bacchelli & Villa handled the coachwork, and the interior was entrusted to the respected Selleria Luppi. Upon completion of the restoration, the car was tested and featured in Octane in January 2006, marking a thoroughly enjoyable and particularly satisfying drive for the magazine’s testers.

From Switzerland, the car was sold to its next and current English owner in late 2005, who is himself a fastidious collector. Upon acquisition of the car, he enrolled and was accepted to participate in that year’s edition of the Mille Miglia. Demanding perfection of all of the cars within his collection, the current owner recently commissioned UK-based Ferrari specialists GTO Engineering to perform a full, no-expense-spared service on 1039 GT at a cost of over GBP 10,000. Any mechanical part that was at all worn was changed, and as offered now, the 1039 GT runs beautifully and stands ready to be enjoyed. Of course, with its legendary pedigree, it will surely be welcomed at most any event the new owner chooses to enter.

RM Auctions has recently inspected the car, and we can confirm that 1039 GT presents very well. Some of the world’s premier Ferrari experts carried out its restoration, and it still shows today. The bodywork is straight, and the doors display proper fit. The paintwork is near-perfect, and the correctly trimmed tan leather upholstery presents beautifully, a true mark of Luppi’s workmanship, with the crackle-finished dash giving 1039 GT a true competition feel when you slip behind the wheel. The outside fuel filler, covered headlamps and single louver give the car an undeniable competition-bred presence, and as offered today, 1039 GT is correct in every way—a fact confirmed not only by marque specialists but also by the all-important Ferrari Classiche certification binder that accompanies it. Truly rare, purposefully beautiful and capable of performance that remains very impressive even today, this 250 GT Tour de France Berlinetta is steeped in Ferrari’s rich competition legacy and very capably represents one of the most highly coveted Ferrari models ever built.

[Text from RM Auctions]

www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=851162

This Lego miniland-scale Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta 'Tour de France' (1958 - Scaglietti), has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 89th Build Challenge, - "Over a Million, Under a Thousand", - a challenge to build vehicles valued over one million (US) dollars, or under one thousand (US) dollars.

This particular vehicle was auctioned by the RM Auction house on Wednesday, October 26, 2012, where it sold for 2,240,000 British Pounds (US$3.342,080).

Enigma Dynamics struck gold when they created the Blitz Mk 1 engine. Such powerful but unpredictable technology had to have a ship built around it, rather than the other way around.

Tesler proposed their Forerunner model featuring a large cooling component that kept the Blitz's heat in the back, where it's put to good use. The Forerunner excels at going straight, and that's about it.

With its flaws the Forerunner had a short production life. Tesler moved on to build the more maneuverable Starpoint cruiser. Folks lucky enough to find this old ship repurpose it for exploration, light cargo, and underground racing.

Founded in 1905

The P-35, a forerunner of the Republic P-47, was the U.S. Army Air Corps' (USAAC) first production single-seat, all-metal pursuit plane with retractable landing gear and an enclosed cockpit. The USAAC accepted 76 P-35s in 1937-1938, and assigned all but one of them to the 1st Pursuit Group at Selfridge Field, Mich.

Sweden also purchased 60 improved aircraft (designated EP-106), but the United States diverted a second order for 60 to the USAAC in 1940 and assigned them to the 17th and 20th Pursuit Squadrons in the Philippines. These aircraft, redesignated P-35As, were all lost in action early in the war. Ironically, the Japanese Navy ordered 20 two-seat versions of the P-35 in 1938, and these became the only American-built planes used operationally by the Japanese during World War II.

The aircraft on display, the only known surviving P-35, served with the 94th Pursuit Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group. The aircraft was restored by the 133rd Tactical Airlift Wing, Minnesota Air National Guard, with assistance from students of the Minneapolis Vocational Institute. It is marked as the P-35A flown by the 17th Pursuit Squadron commander, 1st Lt. Buzz Wagner, in the Philippines in the spring of 1941.

TECHNICAL NOTES:

Armament: One .50-cal. and one .30-cal. fuselage mounted machine gun plus 320 lbs. of bombs

Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-1830 of 850 hp

Maximum speed: 280 mph

Cruising speed: 260 mph

Range: 625 miles

Ceiling: 30,600 ft.

Span: 36 ft.

Length: 25 ft. 4 in.

Height: 9 ft. 9 1/2 in.

Weight: 5,600 lbs. maximum

www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/

Entry for S5 IS Weekend Challenge #60.

Time shown is for my 10 mile run, completed a week before I do the London Marathon. For more information go to my BHF fundraising page

02/09/2022, departing from Parkeston Quay, Harwich, England, for Hook of Holland, Netherlands.

Keel laid on 27/12/2000, launched on 26/04/2001 and entered into service on 29/08/2003, by Dalian Shipyard Co., Dalian, China (ro123-3)

24,688 g.t and 12,300 dwt., as:

'Stena Forerunner'.

Castlefin Bridge

Castlefinn (Irish: Caisleán na Finne, meaning "castle of the (river) Finn") sometimes spelt Castlefin is a market town in the Finn Valley of County Donegal, Ireland.

Castlefin Bridge which span the River Finn on the R235 road and is the main access route from Castlefin (Republic of Ireland) to Castlederg (Northern Ireland).

This bridge originally dates to the late-eighteenth century, a period that saw a great deal of road and bridge-building in Ireland, particularly by the Grand Juries (the forerunners of the County Councils) a bridge is depicted on the Taylor and Skinner map of the area from 1777 - 1883, though not on Moll's map dated 1714, which suggests that the bridge dates to between these dates. According to the Ordnance Survey Memoirs of 1836 Castlefinn Bridge at the entrance of the town from Castlederg, is a structure of 6 water arches and 6 land ones, although only ten are visible today due to build-up of the land to the north end adjacent to the river. It was built by a Mr. Mason and cost about £900, raised by assessment from the county, and was built at little cost on account of the stones being procured from the ruins of a castle site to the north-west side of the bridge.

There is a record of repairs in 1774 costing £47, which indicates that the bridge dates to before this time. This bridge probably replaced an earlier fording point, hence the presence site of a castle to the north side, and there was a ferry here in the seventeenth century.

A large corn store and quay for loading and unloading (4 boats were usually employed) had been built at the bridge by Dr. Francis Rogan, who is the principal proprietor of Castlefin.

This bridge is one of a number of fine bridges over the River Finn, and is an important element of the built heritage and transport history of County Donegal.

O’Donnell Castles

The O’Donnell chieftains of Donegal built castles at fords on the River Finn. One castle was located at Killygordon which fell into the hands of the English during the Nine Years War in the early 1600s. The castle and surrounding lands were granted to a Captain Ralph Mansfield for his part in the war. Mansfield and his heirs owned the property up to the end of the 19th century.

Another O’Donnell castle was located on the river at Castlefin. After the Nine Years War the castle and estates adjacent to the castle were confiscated and granted to General Kingsmill for dispersing the O’Donnell forces in that area. The lands were inherited by Sir John Kingsmill’s daughters and later passed on to their husbands through marriage. The castle at Castlefin was eventually dismantled, and as mentioned previously its stones were used in building the bridge across the river.

The castle at Lifford belonged to Manus O’Donnell, Earl of Donegal, during the time of King Henry VIII. He built his castle in 1527. It was later occupied by his grandson, Red Hugh O’Donnell, who was defeated in the Nine Years War with England. After the war, the site of the castle became the administrative center for the plantation of Ulster in Donegal. The county courthouse and jail were built there in 1746. Lifford remained Donegal’s seat of power until 1938.

Tyrconnell (Irish: Tír Chonaill, meaning "Land of Conall"), also spelled Tirconnell, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Donegal, which has sometimes been called County Tyrconnell. At times it also included parts of County Fermanagh, County Sligo, County Leitrim, County Tyrone and County Londonderry at its greatest extent.

Niall Garve O'Donnell

Niall Garve O'Donnell (Irish: Niall Garbh Ó Domhnaill; 1569 – 1626) was an Irish chieftain, alternately an ally and rebel against English rule in Ireland. He is best known for siding with the English against his kinsman Hugh Roe O'Donnell during the Nine Years' War (1688–1697) often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg.

The Nine Years' War was a conflict between Louis XIV of France and a European coalition of the Holy Roman Empire (led by Austria), the Dutch Republic, Spain, England, and Savoy.

Niall Garbh was the son of Conn O'Donnell, the son of Calvagh O'Donnell the ruler of the lordship of Tyrconnell. Amongst his brothers were Hugh Boy, Donal and Conn. Niall Garbh was incensed at the elevation of his cousin Hugh Roe (Red Hugh) to the chieftainship in 1592 and was further alienated when the latter deprived him of his castle at Lifford, and a bitter feud between the two O’Donnell’s was the result.

While Red Hugh O'Donnell was engaged in the Nine Years' War against the English, Niall Garve exploited the political situation to his own advantage. Niall Garve made terms with the English government, to whom he rendered valuable service both against the O'Neills and against his cousin, enabling an English force to land at Derry under Sir Henry Docwra. For a time Docwra regarded Niall as an invaluable ally but in 1601 he quarrelled with the Lord Deputy of Ireland, who was willing to establish Niall Garve in the lordship of Tyrconnell, would not permit him to enforce his supremacy over Sir Cahir O'Doherty in Inishowen. Nonetheless the same year he led an Anglo-Irish force that captured Donegal which was then laid siege to by the rebels, but Niall Garve oversaw a successful defence.

After the departure of Hugh Roe from Ireland in 1602, Niall Garve tried to seize the chieftainship, and was "inaugurated" in 1603 as the 25th O'Donnell, but without the required full support of the derbfine (electoral kinship group). This was repudiated by Hugh Roe's surviving family, and especially by his younger brother Rory. To find a solution, Niall Garve, and Hugh Roe's brother Rory went to London in 1603, where the privy council endeavoured to arrange the family quarrel.

As a result, King James 1st of England granted some lands to Niall Garve, but raised Rory to the peerage as Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, and also granted him the territorial Lordship of Tyrconnell.

Niall Garve was later accused of turning against the Crown. When Sir Cahir O'Doherty launched an uprising by burning Derry (Londonderry) in 1608, Niall Garve was charged with complicity in the ensuing O'Doherty's Rebellion. He and his son Neachtain were sent to the Tower of London, where they remained until their deaths.

Niall Garve had married his cousin Nuala, sister of Hugh Roe and Rory O'Donnell. When Rory fled with Hugh O'Neill the Earl of Tyrone to Rome in 1607 (see the Flight of the Earls), Nuala, who had left her husband when he joined the English against her brother, accompanied him, taking with her daughter, Grania. She was the subject of an Irish poem, of which an English version was written by James Mangan from a prose translation by Eugene O'Curry.

Dr. Rogan

The Londonderry Journal in 1845 referred to Dr. Rogan as providing employment for 208 weavers on his estate at Castlefin. Dr, Rogan enterprise in Castlefin started in 1840. It was managed by one of William Scott’s sons, like his father’s business, combined weaving with shirt making. Dr. Rogan had established a similar a similar manufactory four years fr 1,000 wavers in Magherafelt. It involved moving a step away from the pattern described in 1838 by a Government Commissioner in the following terms

In 1845 the Londonderry Journal sought to dispel the impression that insufficient was being done to create employment in Derry and its district. It referred to Dr Rogan who was providing employment for 280 weavers on his estate at Castlefin. The Journal also mentioned:

In sewing we understand that Messrs. Wm. Scott & Co. of this town gave employment to no fewer than 250 weavers and upwards of 500 persons making shirts; and we believe that there is a great demand for hands on their part than they can readily procure.

Dr, Rogan’s enterprise in Castlefin had started in 1840. It was managed by one of Williams Scott’s sons and, like his father’s business, combined weaving with shirt making. Dr Rogan had established a similar ‘manufactory’ 4 years earlier for 1,000 weavers in Magherafelt.

River Finn

The River Finn starts at Lough Finn near Fintown in Co. Donegal. It flows east through the area known as Glenfin, past the towns of Ballanmore, Cloghan, Brockagh, and Welchtown and from here it runs through the twin towns of Ballybofey and Stranorlar. From there, it flows through the parish of Donaghmore, past Killygordon, Liscooley, Castlefin, Clady, and Lifford where it joins the River Mourne to form the River Foyle.

The river from Lough Finn to the River Mourne is 39 miles long. It is navigable up to Castlefin. In the 19th century, Dr. Francis Rogan, a surgeon at the Derry Hospital, operated a service that brought grain to the markets at Derry from Castlefin by boat once a week. Dr. Rogan was the landlord of many properties in Castlefin.

The River Finn is one of the best Atlantic salmon rivers in the locality. The main run of Grilse is between May through to July although the Finn has a reputation as a good spring salmon river. Spring salmon travel up the River Foyle from the Atlantic Ocean before arriving at the mouth of the River Finn (at Lifford) a distance of for 25 miles before head west up the Finn. Spring Salmon fishing is best in March through to May. A rod license is required to fish the River Finn with a number of beats being private thus requiring a day ticket.

Standing Stones - Menhir

A menhir (from Brittonic languages: maen or men, "stone"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large man-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be found solely as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones.

Menhirs' size can vary considerably, but they are generally uneven and squared, often tapering towards the top. They are widely distributed across Europe, Africa and Asia, but most numerous in Western Europe; particularly in Ireland, Great Britain, Brittany and France, where there are about 50,000 examples, while there are 1,200 menhirs in northwest France alone. Standing stones are usually difficult to date, but pottery, or pottery shards, found underneath some in Atlantic Europe connects them with the Beaker people. They were constructed during many different periods across pre-history as part of the larger megalithic cultures in Europe and near areas.

Almost nothing is known of the social organization or religious beliefs of the people who erected the menhirs. There’s no trace of these people's language however, we do know that they buried their dead and had the skills to grow cereal, farm and make pottery, stone tools and jewellery. Identifying the menhirs uses remains speculative as until recently they were associated with the Beaker people, who inhabited Europe during the European late Neolithic and early Bronze Age—later third millennium BC, c. 2800–1800 BC. However, recent research into the age of megaliths in Brittany strongly suggests a far older origin, perhaps back to 6,000 to 7,000 years ago.

The full version of this video is available on YouTube

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkCKOqYH55I

"Welcome, wild harbinger of spring!

To this small nook of earth;

Feeling and fancy fondly cling

Round thoughts which owe their birth

To thee, and to the humble spot

Where chance has fixed thy lowly lot."

Bernard Barton, To a Crocus

(Harbinger - a person or thing that announces or indicates the approach of something; forerunner, herald.)

s/n 1039GT

250 bhp at 7,000 rpm, 2,953 cc SOHC alloy block-and-head V-12 engine, triple Weber carburettors, four-speed manual gearbox, independent front suspension with A-arms and coil springs, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 2,600 mm

• One of the most desirable competition-bred Ferraris extant

• Alloy coachwork and V-12 power

• Desirable covered headlamps; one of 36 “single-louver” examples

• Ferrari Classiche-certified and matching numbers

• Restoration by marque specialists in Italy

The Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta not only has breathtaking looks, it remains arguably the greatest and most important Ferrari road/racing car ever built. Its forerunner was the 250 MM, so-named after the famous Mille Miglia race, which hard-charging Italian hillclimb champion Giovanni Bracco won for Ferrari in 1952. That achievement, plus Ferrari’s first World Driver’s Championship win with Alberto Ascari driving the Type 500 and the company’s first collaboration with Pinin Farina (the 212 Inter cabriolet) combined to make the year 1952 a particularly significant one in the marque’s history.

THE 250 GT LWB BERLINETTA

The last 250 MMs had been built by 1954, and work began on what would become the 250 GT Berlinetta Tour de France. A new strengthened 2,600-mm tubular chassis was equipped with a modern wishbone/coil-spring suspension and the Colombo Tipo 112 “short-block” V-12 engine. Subsequently, this engine was developed further and re-designated Tipo 128B, C and D. Three more 250 GTs similar to the 250 MM followed the prototype Pinin Farina-bodied Berlinetta, 0369 GT, between April and July 1955.

That October, another car was shown at the Paris Salon and was the first design with many side louvers set within the rear sail-panels. Pinin Farina made two more prototypes, one of which was owned by the Marquis de Portago from Spain. At Nassau in December 1955, he scored the first victory for the car, a record that would reach epic proportions by the end of the decade. The Le Mans tragedy of 1955, where Peter Levegh’s Mercedes flew into a crowd of spectators, killing 80 and injuring another 200, prompted the creation of a new Gran Turismo category with an engine capacity of 3.0 litres, which would play directly into Ferrari’s hands in 1956.

Not to be outdone by Pinin Farina, Scaglietti appeared at the 1956 Geneva Motor Show with their own 250 GT prototype, which became known as the limited production, Series I, “14-louvre” 250 GT Berlinetta. The first production car was built in November 1956, and production was now the responsibility of Scaglietti in Modena.

There were five series of 250 GT Berlinettas in all. From mid-1957, the Series II cars were introduced, with three louvers and covered headlights. Just 15 were produced. Series III numbered 36 cars; these retained the covered headlights but had just a single vent louver. In 1959, eight single-louver cars were built with open headlights, a new Italian requirement. Zagato also made five superlight cars.

The real start of the 250 GT Berlinetta’s competition career began in 1956, and the car went on to win more races than either of its legendary successors, the 250 GT SWB and the GTO. Olivier Gendebien won the GT class in the Tour of Sicily at the beginning of 1956, but that year’s Tour de France was 250 GT Berlinetta’s most important race and propelled the car into the annals of motorsport history.

The Tour de France took five or six days and covered almost 5,000 gruelling kilometres around France, sometimes venturing into Italy, Belgium or Germany. The race consisted of up to six circuit races, two hillclimbs and a sprint. In 1956, in de Portago’s first attempt, with Edmund Nelson as co-driver in his Ferrari, he took the victory with Stirling Moss in a Mercedes 300SL second and Gendebien third in the first Pinin Farina ex-works development car, 0357 GT. With this win, ‘Fon’ de Portago earned the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta its enduring sobriquet, the Tour de France. In the hands of Olivier Gendebien, the 250 GT Tour de France was victorious for the next three straight years in the race whose name the car had now unofficially taken, and the car and its enviable competition record remain the stuff of legends today.

CHASSIS 1039 GT

The example offered here, 1039 GT, was supplied new via US Ferrari Importer Luigi Chinetti Motors of Greenwich, Connecticut to its first owner Hastings Harcourt of Santa Barbara, California on 26 November, 1958. Mr. Harcourt was the heir and owner of Harcourt Brace, the well known book publisher. Of particular note, 1039 GT is one of the 39 competition 250 GT LWB Berlinettas originally produced by Ferrari with all-alloy bodywork, the single vent and the desirable covered-headlamp configuration.

1039 GT remained in America for most of its life, and during this phase, it changed hands amongst a number of American collectors, as documented by Ferrari historian Marcel Massini. Early in its life in the United States, Ford units replaced the original engine and gearbox. The original 250 series V-12 engine was later reunited with the TdF, as confirmed by the Ferrari Classiche certification. In 1974, Charles W. Betz and Fred Peters of Orange, California acquired 1039 GT and re-united the TdF with its original Ferrari 250 series V-12 engine and gearbox.

The rare Ferrari remained in America for many years thereafter and was successfully campaigned a number of times at the world-famous Monterey Historic Automobile Races in Laguna Seca during the 1980s. In the early 1990s, 1039 GT was sold to Switzerland, and there, it joined an important Swiss-based private automobile collection. The prominent owner used the car sparingly in Switzerland and abroad, when it was driven on the Tour Auto in 1997 and in 1999. He retained 1039 GT for many years, and in 2005, it was certified by the Ferrari Classiche program, which confirms that the car retains its engine and all of its main components the way it was built by the factory, and therefore, it is indeed a true matching-numbers example.

The car was restored in Italy by some of the finest recognised Ferrari specialists in the Modena area, the birthplace of Ferrari. The engine was entrusted to Diena, who performed a full rebuild, Bacchelli & Villa handled the coachwork, and the interior was entrusted to the respected Selleria Luppi. Upon completion of the restoration, the car was tested and featured in Octane in January 2006, marking a thoroughly enjoyable and particularly satisfying drive for the magazine’s testers.

From Switzerland, the car was sold to its next and current English owner in late 2005, who is himself a fastidious collector. Upon acquisition of the car, he enrolled and was accepted to participate in that year’s edition of the Mille Miglia. Demanding perfection of all of the cars within his collection, the current owner recently commissioned UK-based Ferrari specialists GTO Engineering to perform a full, no-expense-spared service on 1039 GT at a cost of over GBP 10,000. Any mechanical part that was at all worn was changed, and as offered now, the 1039 GT runs beautifully and stands ready to be enjoyed. Of course, with its legendary pedigree, it will surely be welcomed at most any event the new owner chooses to enter.

RM Auctions has recently inspected the car, and we can confirm that 1039 GT presents very well. Some of the world’s premier Ferrari experts carried out its restoration, and it still shows today. The bodywork is straight, and the doors display proper fit. The paintwork is near-perfect, and the correctly trimmed tan leather upholstery presents beautifully, a true mark of Luppi’s workmanship, with the crackle-finished dash giving 1039 GT a true competition feel when you slip behind the wheel. The outside fuel filler, covered headlamps and single louver give the car an undeniable competition-bred presence, and as offered today, 1039 GT is correct in every way—a fact confirmed not only by marque specialists but also by the all-important Ferrari Classiche certification binder that accompanies it. Truly rare, purposefully beautiful and capable of performance that remains very impressive even today, this 250 GT Tour de France Berlinetta is steeped in Ferrari’s rich competition legacy and very capably represents one of the most highly coveted Ferrari models ever built.

[Text from RM Auctions]

www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=851162

This Lego miniland-scale Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta 'Tour de France' (1958 - Scaglietti), has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 89th Build Challenge, - "Over a Million, Under a Thousand", - a challenge to build vehicles valued over one million (US) dollars, or under one thousand (US) dollars.

This particular vehicle was auctioned by the RM Auction house on Wednesday, October 26, 2012, where it sold for 2,240,000 British Pounds (US$3.342,080).

The Rambler American is an automobile manufactured by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) between 1958 and 1969. The American was the second incarnation of AMC's forerunner Nash Motors second-generation Rambler compact that was sold under the Nash and Hudson Motors marques from 1954 and 1955.

The American can be classified in three distinct model year generations: 1958 to 1960, 1961 to 1963, and 1964 to 1969. During the entire length of its production, the car was sold under the Rambler brand name, and was the last Rambler automobile manufactured for the Canadian and United States markets.

The compact Rambler American was most often the lowest priced car built in the U.S. It was popular for its economy in ownership, as was proven by numerous Mobilgas Economy Run championships. After an optional V8 engine was added in 1966, it also became known as a powerful compact performance model that included the outlandish 390 cu in (6.4 L) powered muscle car built in conjunction with Hurst, the 1969 SC/Rambler.

A special youth-oriented concept car, the 1964 Rambler Tarpon, was built on an Rambler American platform that foretold the fastback design of the 1965 Rambler Marlin, as well as future trends in sporty-type pony cars, including the 1968 AMC Javelin.

The compact Rambler Americans were exported from the U.S. and Canada, as well as produced in other markets by AMC subsidiaries or assembled under under license. It was manufactured in Iran, Mexico, South America, and Argentina. An offspring of the third generation American restyled by Pininfarina, the Renault Torino was developed and made in Argentina between 1966 and 1982. In Iran it was assembled from completely knocked down (CKD) kits and the models were named Aria and Shahin. Rambler Americans were built in South Africa starting in 1961 by Stanley Motors (controlled by the Rootes Group) and from 1964 by American Motors South Africa (Pty) Ltd.

FILE MAGAZINE VOL 4 NO 1 (SUMMER 1978) alternative to the Alternative Press, legendary Toronto collaborative General Idea's FILE Megazine – published from 1972 to 1989.

FILE magazine Summer-1978 General Idea

General Idea: FILE megazine, vol 4, issue 1, summer 1978 (the “1984: A Year in Pictures” issue), edition of 3,000 copies.

FILE MAGAZINE VOL 4 NO 1 (SUMMER 1978). Toronto: General Idea, 1978

35 X 27.5cm, 64pp plus pictorial wrappers. A single number from General Idea's art periodical where the trio published conceptual, mail and intermedia art including the GI's own work - often with a homoerotic element. This number has GI's "General Idea flees the burning pavilion in 1984" and several articles on Miss General idea 1984. One slight crease on the back cover and front lower-right corner and spine wear and, as ever, browned internal newsprint pages else VG+. Scarce.

1978

FILE Megazine ("1984: A Year in Pictures," Vol. 4, #1, summer 1978)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1978

Publisher:General Idea, Toronto

Book Condition: VG+

35 X 27.5cm, 64pp plus pictorial wrappers

GENERAL IDEA 1969-1994

An alternative to the Alternative Press, legendary Toronto collaborative General Idea's FILE Megazine --published from 1972 to 1989--

Felix Partz, Jorge Zontal and AA Bronson of General Idea lived and worked together for 25 years. Partz and Zontal died in 1994. AA Bronson continues to work under his own name

The General Idea Archive is now on deposit at the National Gallery of Canada. You can access the finding aid here:

national.gallery.ca/english/library/biblio/ngc112.html

In 1974, General Idea founded Art Metropole, an organization devoted to collecting, publishing and distributing artists' books, multiples, audio and video.

Read about FILE Megazine in Artforum here:

www.aabronson.com/art/gi.org/artforum.htm

General Idea, Fluxus, Mail Art, Ray Johnson and the importance of Art Magazines as the forerunners of Social Networking:

The first issues of FILE, the publication launched in April 1972 by the Toronto-based group General Idea (comprising artists AA Bronson, Felix Partz, and Jorge Zontal), leave a different, less sober impression than previous magazine-based Conceptual art projects. Lifting its name and logo from the most famous (and popular) postwar US glossy, Life, FILE clearly anticipated a strategy that today is an everyday youth-cultural ploy: namely, logo-busting, an ironic game with the powerful markers of consumer culture, a small act of semiotic subversion whereby one borrows power from the public side of capital--and momentarily uses it against itself.

For the better part of a century artists have been using the format of the periodical to create and disseminate their work. Yves Klein’s Leap Into the Void, another iconic work, was published in the artist’s broadsheet publication Dimanche, which was sold at Parisian newsstands in 1960. Artists' magazines were integral to numerous important movements, such as Conceptual Art, Mail Art, Performance Art, Intermedia, Concrete Poetry, Neo-Dadaism and Fluxus.

The name Fluxus was originally coined by George Maciunas for the title of a magazine of experimental notation that he had hoped to produce.

For the uninitiated, a simple distinction suffices: the “artist periodical” is a primary source and an “art magazine” is a secondary one. That is to say, whereas an art magazine features reproductions and documentation of artwork as illustrations, the artist periodical is an alternative site for the realization of art works rather than their review.

Like their cousins, artists’ books and multiples, artists’ periodicals were intended to be easily distributable, affordable and accessible. And now – much like artists’ books and multiples – they can be difficult to track down and often costly. Complete sets of FILE megazine can sell for upwards of $5,000. Depending on the issue, a single copy of Aspen magazine might sell for the same price. Putting together complete collections piecemeal is the artworld equivalent of collecting a complete set of baseball cards. Critical discourse, too, has been hard to come by; apart from a few key articles, very little has been published on the subject of artists’ magazines.

Publications by General Idea:

THIS IS A LIST OF PUBLICATIONS DESIGNED AND EDITED BY GENERAL IDEA

(Note: FILE Megazine was published by Art Official Inc. in varying edition sizes ranging from 1,500 to 3,500 copies)

A Side note about A.A. Bronson: He wrote …

Mail art was expanding exponentially as ….

Evo prijevoda teksta o svetom Ivanu Krstitelju na engleski i njemački jezik, prilagođenog duhu jezika i teološkoj terminologiji.

English Translation

Saint John the Baptist is one of the most important Christian saints, known as the "Forerunner" because he announced the coming of Jesus Christ. His life was marked by asceticism, courageous preaching, and a martyr's death, which became one of the most famous scenes of the New Testament.

Biography

Birth and Childhood: He was born to his elderly parents, the Jewish priest Zechariah and Elizabeth (a relative of Mary). His birth was foretold by the Archangel Gabriel; since Zechariah initially did not believe, he remained mute until the child was named.

Life in the Desert: As an adult, John went into the Judean Desert near the Jordan River. He lived as a strict ascetic, wearing camel's hair clothing with a leather belt and feeding on locusts and wild honey.

Preaching and Baptism: He called people to repentance, baptizing them in the Jordan as a sign of purification from sin. His most significant act was the baptism of Jesus himself, whom he recognized as the "Lamb of God" who takes away the sins of the world.

The Role of the Forerunner: John always emphasized his humility, saying: "He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease."

Execution (Martyrdom)

The execution of John the Baptist was the result of political intrigue and his unwavering devotion to the truth.

Conflict with Herod: John publicly rebuked King Herod Antipas for marrying Herodias, the wife of his half-brother Philip, which was impermissible under Jewish law. Due to these criticisms, Herod imprisoned him in the fortress of Machaerus.

Salome's Dance: During Herod's birthday celebration, Herodias' daughter, Salome, danced before the guests. Herod was so delighted by her dance that he swore before everyone to give her whatever she asked, even up to half his kingdom.

The Fatal Request: Salome consulted her mother, Herodias, who hated John. At her mother's urging, Salome requested: "The head of John the Baptist on a platter."

Death: Although Herod was saddened because he respected John, he did not want to refuse the request because of his oath and the guests. He sent an executioner to the prison who beheaded John. The head was brought on a platter and given to Salome, who then gave it to her mother.

Significance and Veneration

The Catholic Church celebrates two feast days dedicated to him:

June 24: The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist.

August 29: The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (Martyrdom).

Deutsche Übersetzung

Heiliger Johannes der Täufer ist einer der wichtigsten christlichen Heiligen, bekannt als der „Vorläufer“, da er das Kommen Jesu Christi ankündigte. Sein Leben war geprägt von Askese, mutiger Predigt und einem Märtyrertod, der zu einer der bekanntesten Szenen des Neuen Testaments wurde.

Biografie

Geburt und Kindheit: Er wurde seinen betagten Eltern, dem jüdischen Priester Zacharias und Elisabeth (einer Verwandten Marias), geboren. Seine Geburt wurde vom Erzengel Gabriel verkündet; da Zacharias anfangs nicht glaubte, blieb er stumm, bis das Kind seinen Namen erhielt.

Leben in der Wüste: Als Erwachsener ging Johannes in die Judäische Wüste nahe dem Jordan. Er lebte als strenger Asket, trug Kleidung aus Kamelhaar mit einem ledernen Gürtel und ernährte sich von Heuschrecken und wildem Honig.

Predigt und Taufe: Er rief das Volk zur Umkehr und Buße auf und taufte sie im Jordan als Zeichen der Reinigung von Sünden. Sein bedeutendstes Werk war die Taufe Jesu selbst, den er als das „Lamm Gottes“ erkannte, das die Sünden der Welt hinwegnimmt.

Die Rolle des Vorläufers: Johannes betonte stets seine Demut mit den Worten: „Er (Jesus) muss wachsen, ich aber muss abnehmen.“

Hinrichtung (Martyrium)

Die Hinrichtung von Johannes dem Täufer war das Ergebnis politischer Intrigen und seiner unerschütterlichen Treue zur Wahrheit.

Konflikt mit Herodes: Johannes tadelte König Herodes Antipas öffentlich, weil er Herodias, die Frau seines Halbbruders Philippus, zur Frau genommen hatte, was nach jüdischem Gesetz unzulässig war. Wegen dieser Kritik ließ Herodes ihn in der Festung Machaerus gefangen setzen.

Salomes Tanz: Anlässlich der Geburtstagsfeier von Herodes tanzte Herodias' Tochter Salome vor den Gästen. Herodes war so begeistert von ihrem Tanz, dass er vor allen schwor, ihr zu geben, was auch immer sie verlangte, selbst bis zur Hälfte seines Reiches.

Die verhängnisvolle Forderung: Salome beriet sich mit ihrer Mutter Herodias, die Johannes hasste. Auf Drängen ihrer Mutter forderte Salome: „Das Haupt des Johannes des Täufers auf einer Schale.“

Tod: Obwohl Herodes betrübt war, da er Johannes achtete, wollte er die Bitte wegen seines Eides und der Gäste nicht ablehnen. Er schickte einen Henker in das Gefängnis, der Johannes enthauptete. Das Haupt wurde auf einer Schale gebracht und Salome übergeben, die es wiederum ihrer Mutter gab.

Bedeutung und Verehrung

Die katholische Kirche feiert zwei ihm gewidmete Festtage:

24. Juni: Geburt des heiligen Johannes des Täufers (Johannistag).

29. August: Enthauptung des heiligen Johannes des Täufers (Martyrium).

---------------------------

12042 MuzGerNatNür Beheading of John the Baptist 1490 Artist Meister von Freising-Neustift (tätig in Bayern in der 2. Hälfte des 15. Jahrhunderts) Title German: Die Enthauptung Johannes des Täufers Gm1527 Das Germanische Nationalmuseum (GNM) in Nürnberg. (20150702 S 2424 Nationalmuseum2_04)

The depiction offers an authentic impression of a busy late medieval city. The town gate and the tall church towers are impressive signs of municipal power and prosperity. The place of execution lies outside the town gate on the other side of a river. Executions were public; the citizens formed the "legal community" at the execution site. Even outside the walls public execution sites denoted municipal control and jurisdiction.

text from:

objektkatalog.gnm.de/wisski/navigate/9108/view

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Das Germanische Nationalmuseum ist das größte kulturgeschichtliche Museum des deutschen Sprachraums.

www.gnm.de/museum/

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www.google.hr/maps/contrib/111204886922236311430/place/Ch...

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10-11 сентября 2022. Усекновение главы Пророка, Предтечи и Крестителя Господня Иоанна / 10-11 September 2022. The Beheading of the Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John.

The Thin Wall was the forerunner of the Vanwall GP car of the late 1950's. Built in England from some Ferrari components mixed with locally produced parts. It last raced in 1954. Brumm model in 1/43. Similar in shape to the early BRM.

RemasterDirector_1a5c03258

The Ajanta Caves (Ajiṇṭhā leni; Marathi: अजिंठा लेणी) in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India are about 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments which date from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 or 650 CE. The caves include paintings and sculptures described by the government Archaeological Survey of India as "the finest surviving examples of Indian art, particularly painting", which are masterpieces of Buddhist religious art, with figures of the Buddha and depictions of the Jataka tales. The caves were built in two phases starting around the 2nd century BCE, with the second group of caves built around 400–650 CE according to older accounts, or all in a brief period of 460 to 480 according to the recent proposals of Walter M. Spink. The site is a protected monument in the care of the Archaeological Survey of India, and since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The caves are located in the Indian state of Maharashtra, near Jalgaon and just outside the village of Ajinṭhā 20°31′56″N 75°44′44″E), about 59 kilometres from Jalgaon railway station on the Delhi – Mumbai line and Howrah-Nagpur-Mumbai line of the Central Railway zone, and 104 kilometres from the city of Aurangabad. They are 100 kilometres from the Ellora Caves, which contain Hindu and Jain temples as well as Buddhist caves, the last dating from a period similar to Ajanta. The Ajanta caves are cut into the side of a cliff that is on the south side of a U-shaped gorge on the small river Waghur, and although they are now along and above a modern pathway running across the cliff they were originally reached by individual stairs or ladders from the side of the river 35 to 110 feet below.

The area was previously heavily forested, and after the site ceased to be used the caves were covered by jungle until accidentally rediscovered in 1819 by a British officer on a hunting party. They are Buddhist monastic buildings, apparently representing a number of distinct "monasteries" or colleges. The caves are numbered 1 to 28 according to their place along the path, beginning at the entrance. Several are unfinished and some barely begun and others are small shrines, included in the traditional numbering as e.g. "9A"; "Cave 15A" was still hidden under rubble when the numbering was done. Further round the gorge are a number of waterfalls, which when the river is high are audible from outside the caves.

The caves form the largest corpus of early Indian wall-painting; other survivals from the area of modern India are very few, though they are related to 5th-century paintings at Sigiriya in Sri Lanka. The elaborate architectural carving in many caves is also very rare, and the style of the many figure sculptures is highly local, found only at a few nearby contemporary sites, although the Ajanta tradition can be related to the later Hindu Ellora Caves and other sites.

HISTORY

Like the other ancient Buddhist monasteries, Ajanta had a large emphasis on teaching, and was divided into several different caves for living, education and worship, under a central direction. Monks were probably assigned to specific caves for living. The layout reflects this organizational structure, with most of the caves only connected through the exterior. The 7th-century travelling Chinese scholar Xuanzang informs us that Dignaga, a celebrated Buddhist philosopher and controversialist, author of well-known books on logic, lived at Ajanta in the 5th century. In its prime the settlement would have accommodated several hundred teachers and pupils. Many monks who had finished their first training may have returned to Ajanta during the monsoon season from an itinerant lifestyle.

The caves are generally agreed to have been made in two distinct periods, separated by several centuries.

CAVES OF THE FIRST (SATAVAHANA) PERIOD

The earliest group of caves consists of caves 9, 10, 12, 13 and 15A. According to Walter Spink, they were made during the period 100 BCE to 100 CE, probably under the patronage of the Satavahana dynasty (230 BCE – c. 220 CE) who ruled the region. Other datings prefer the period 300 BCE to 100 BCE, though the grouping of the earlier caves is generally agreed. More early caves may have vanished through later excavations. Of these, caves 9 and 10 are stupa halls of chaitya-griha form, and caves 12, 13, and 15A are vihāras (see the architecture section below for descriptions of these types). The first phase is still often called the Hinayāna phase, as it originated when, using traditional terminology, the Hinayāna or Lesser Vehicle tradition of Buddhism was dominant, when the Buddha was revered symbolically. However the use of the term Hinayana for this period of Buddhism is now deprecated by historians; equally the caves of the second period are now mostly dated too early to be properly called Mahayana, and do not yet show the full expanded cast of supernatural beings characteristic of that phase of Buddhist art. The first Satavahana period caves lacked figurative sculpture, emphasizing the stupa instead, and in the caves of the second period the overwhelming majority of images represent the Buddha alone, or narrative scenes of his lives.

Spink believes that some time after the Satavahana period caves were made the site was abandoned for a considerable period until the mid-5th century, probably because the region had turned mainly Hindu

CAVES OF THE LATER OR VAKATAKA PERIOD

The second phase began in the 5th century. For a long time it was thought that the later caves were made over a long period from the 4th to the 7th centuries CE, but in recent decades a series of studies by the leading expert on the caves, Walter M. Spink, have argued that most of the work took place over the very brief period from 460 to 480 CE, during the reign of Emperor Harishena of the Vakataka dynasty. This view has been criticized by some scholars, but is now broadly accepted by most authors of general books on Indian art, for example Huntington and Harle.

The second phase is still often called the Mahāyāna or Greater Vehicle phase, but scholars now tend to avoid this nomenclature because of the problems that have surfaced regarding our understanding of Mahāyāna.

Some 20 cave temples were simultaneously created, for the most part viharas with a sanctuary at the back. The most elaborate caves were produced in this period, which included some "modernization" of earlier caves. Spink claims that it is possible to establish dating for this period with a very high level of precision; a fuller account of his chronology is given below. Although debate continues, Spink's ideas are increasingly widely accepted, at least in their broad conclusions. The Archaeological Survey of India website still presents the traditional dating: "The second phase of paintings started around 5th – 6th centuries A.D. and continued for the next two centuries". Caves of the second period are 1–8, 11, 14–29, some possibly extensions of earlier caves. Caves 19, 26, and 29 are chaitya-grihas, the rest viharas.

According to Spink, the Ajanta Caves appear to have been abandoned by wealthy patrons shortly after the fall of Harishena, in about 480 CE. They were then gradually abandoned and forgotten. During the intervening centuries, the jungle grew back and the caves were hidden, unvisited and undisturbed, although the local population were aware of at least some of them.

REDISCOVERY

On 28 April 1819, a British officer for the Madras Presidency, John Smith, of the 28th Cavalry, while hunting tiger, accidentally discovered the entrance to Cave No. 10 deep within the tangled undergrowth. There were local people already using the caves for prayers with a small fire, when he arrived. Exploring that first cave, long since a home to nothing more than birds and bats and a lair for other larger animals, Captain Smith vandalized the wall by scratching his name and the date, April 1819. Since he stood on a five-foot high pile of rubble collected over the years, the inscription is well above the eye-level gaze of an adult today. A paper on the caves by William Erskine was read to the Bombay Literary Society in 1822. Within a few decades, the caves became famous for their exotic setting, impressive architecture, and above all their exceptional, all but unique paintings. A number of large projects to copy the paintings were made in the century after rediscovery, covered below. In 1848 the Royal Asiatic Society established the "Bombay Cave Temple Commission" to clear, tidy and record the most important rock-cut sites in the Bombay Presidency, with John Wilson, as president. In 1861 this became the nucleus of the new Archaeological Survey of India. Until the Nizam of Hyderabad built the modern path between the caves, among other efforts to make the site easy to visit, a trip to Ajanta was a considerable adventure, and contemporary accounts dwell with relish on the dangers from falls off narrow ledges, animals and the Bhil people, who were armed with bows and arrows and had a fearsome reputation.

Today, fairly easily combined with Ellora in a single trip, the caves are the most popular tourist destination in Mahrashtra, and are often crowded at holiday times, increasing the threat to the caves, especially the paintings. In 2012, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation announced plans to add to the ASI visitor centre at the entrance complete replicas of caves 1, 2, 16 & 17 to reduce crowding in the originals, and enable visitors to receive a better visual idea of the paintings, which are dimly-lit and hard to read in the caves. Figures for the year to March 2010 showed a total of 390,000 visitors to the site, divided into 362,000 domestic and 27,000 foreign. The trends over the previous few years show a considerable growth in domestic visitors, but a decline in foreign ones; the year to 2010 was the first in which foreign visitors to Ellora exceeded those to Ajanta.

PAINTINGS

Mural paintings survive from both the earlier and later groups of caves. Several fragments of murals preserved from the earlier caves (Caves 9 and 11) are effectively unique survivals of court-led painting in India from this period, and "show that by Sātavāhana times, if not earlier, the Indian painter had mastered an easy and fluent naturalistic style, dealing with large groups of people in a manner comparable to the reliefs of the Sāñcī toraņa crossbars".

Four of the later caves have large and relatively well-preserved mural paintings which "have come to represent Indian mural painting to the non-specialist", and fall into two stylistic groups, with the most famous in Caves 16 and 17, and apparently later paintings in Caves 1 and 2. The latter group were thought to be a century or more later than the others, but the revised chronology proposed by Spink would place them much closer to the earlier group, perhaps contemporary with it in a more progressive style, or one reflecting a team from a different region. The paintings are in "dry fresco", painted on top of a dry plaster surface rather than into wet plaster.

All the paintings appear to be the work of painters at least as used to decorating palaces as temples, and show a familiarity with and interest in details of the life of a wealthy court. We know from literary sources that painting was widely practised and appreciated in the courts of the Gupta period. Unlike much Indian painting, compositions are not laid out in horizontal compartments like a frieze, but show large scenes spreading in all directions from a single figure or group at the centre. The ceilings are also painted with sophisticated and elaborate decorative motifs, many derived from sculpture. The paintings in cave 1, which according to Spink was commissioned by Harisena himself, concentrate on those Jataka tales which show previous lives of the Buddha as a king, rather than as an animal or human commoner, and so show settings from contemporary palace life.

In general the later caves seem to have been painted on finished areas as excavating work continued elsewhere in the cave, as shown in caves 2 and 16 in particular. According to Spink's account of the chronology of the caves, the abandonment of work in 478 after a brief busy period accounts for the absence of painting in caves such as 4 and 17, the later being plastered in preparation for paintings that were never done.

COPIES

The paintings have deteriorated significantly since they were rediscovered, and a number of 19th-century copies and drawings are important for a complete understanding of the works. However, the earliest projects to copy the paintings were plagued by bad fortune. In 1846, Major Robert Gill, an Army officer from Madras presidency and a painter, was appointed by the Royal Asiatic Society to replicate the frescoes on the cave walls to exhibit these paintings in England. Gill worked on his painting at the site from 1844 to 1863 (though he continued to be based there until his death in 1875, writing books and photographing) and made 27 copies of large sections of murals, but all but four were destroyed in a fire at the Crystal Palace in London in 1866, where they were on display.

Another attempt was made in 1872 when the Bombay Presidency commissioned John Griffiths, then principal of the Bombay School of Art, to work with his students to make new copies, again for shipping to England. They worked on this for thirteen years and some 300 canvases were produced, many of which were displayed at the Imperial Institute on Exhibition Road in London, one of the forerunners of the Victoria and Albert Museum. But in 1885 another fire destroyed over a hundred paintings that were in storage. The V&A still has 166 paintings surviving from both sets, though none have been on permanent display since 1955. The largest are some 3 × 6 metres. A conservation project was undertaken on about half of them in 2006, also involving the University of Northumbria. Griffith and his students had unfortunately painted many of the paintings with "cheap varnish" in order to make them easier to see, which has added to the deterioration of the originals, as has, according to Spink and others, recent cleaning by the ASI.

A further set of copies were made between 1909 and 1911 by Christiana Herringham (Lady Herringham) and a group of students from the Calcutta School of Art that included the future Indian Modernist painter Nandalal Bose. The copies were published in full colour as the first publication of London's fledgling India Society. More than the earlier copies, these aimed to fill in holes and damage to recreate the original condition rather than record the state of the paintings as she was seeing them. According to one writer, unlike the paintings created by her predecessors Griffiths and Gill, whose copies were influenced by British Victorian styles of painting, those of the Herringham expedition preferred an 'Indian Renascence' aesthetic of the type pioneered by Abanindranath Tagore.

Early photographic surveys were made by Robert Gill, who learnt to use a camera from about 1856, and whose photos, including some using stereoscopy, were used in books by him and Fergusson (many are available online from the British Library), then Victor Goloubew in 1911 and E.L. Vassey, who took the photos in the four volume study of the caves by Ghulam Yazdani (published 1930–1955).

ARCHITECTURE

The monasteries mostly consist of vihara halls for prayer and living, which are typically rectangular with small square dormitory cells cut into the walls, and by the second period a shrine or sanctuary at the rear centred on a large statue of the Buddha, also carved from the living rock. This change reflects the movement from Hinayana to Mahāyāna Buddhism. The other type of main hall is the narrower and higher chaitya hall with a stupa as the focus at the far end, and a narrow aisle around the walls, behind a range of pillars placed close together. Other plainer rooms were for sleeping and other activities. Some of the caves have elaborate carved entrances, some with large windows over the door to admit light. There is often a colonnaded porch or verandah, with another space inside the doors running the width of the cave.

The central square space of the interior of the viharas is defined by square columns forming a more or less square open area. Outside this are long rectangular aisles on each side, forming a kind of cloister. Along the side and rear walls are a number of small cells entered by a narrow doorway; these are roughly square, and have small niches on their back walls. Originally they had wooden doors. The centre of the rear wall has a larger shrine-room behind, containing a large Buddha statue. The viharas of the earlier period are much simpler, and lack shrines. Spink in fact places the change to a design with a shrine to the middle of the second period, with many caves being adapted to add a shrine in mid-excavation, or after the original phase.

The plan of Cave 1 shows one of the largest viharas, but is fairly typical of the later group. Many others, such as Cave 16, lack the vestibule to the shrine, which leads straight off the main hall. Cave 6 is two viharas, one above the other, connected by internal stairs, with sanctuaries on both levels.

The four completed chaitya halls are caves 9 and 10 from the early period, and caves 19 and 26 from the later period of construction. All follow the typical form found elsewhere, with high ceilings and a central "nave" leading to the stupa, which is near the back, but allows walking behind it, as walking around stupas was (and remains) a common element of Buddhist worship (pradakshina). The later two have high ribbed roofs, which reflect timber forms, and the earlier two are thought to have used actual timber ribs, which have now perished. The two later halls have a rather unusual arrangement (also found in Cave 10 at Ellora) where the stupa is fronted by a large relief sculpture of the Buddha, standing in Cave 19 and seated in Cave 26. Cave 29 is a late and very incomplete chaitya hall.

The form of columns in the work of the first period is very plain and un-embellished, with both chaitya halls using simple octagonal columns, which were painted with figures. In the second period columns were far more varied and inventive, often changing profile over their height, and with elaborate carved capitals, often spreading wide. Many columns are carved over all their surface, some fluted and others carved with decoration all over, as in cave 1.

The flood basalt rock of the cliff, part of the Deccan Traps formed by successive volcanic eruptions at the end of the Cretaceous, is layered horizontally, and somewhat variable in quality, so the excavators had to amend their plans in places, and in places there have been collapses in the intervening centuries, as with the lost portico to cave 1. Excavation began by cutting a narrow tunnel at roof level, which was expanded downwards and outwards; the half-built vihara cave 24 shows the method. Spink believes that for the first caves of the second period the excavators had to relearn skills and techniques that had been lost in the centuries since the first period, which were then transmitted to be used at later rock-cut sites in the region, such as Ellora, and the Elephanta, Bagh, Badami and Aurangabad Caves.

The caves from the first period seem to have been paid for by a number of different patrons, with several inscriptions recording the donation of particular portions of a single cave, but according to Spink the later caves were each commissioned as a complete unit by a single patron from the local rulers or their court elites. After the death of Harisena smaller donors got their chance to add small "shrinelets" between the caves or add statues to existing caves, and some two hundred of these "intrusive" additions were made in sculpture, with a further number of intrusive paintings, up to three hundred in cave 10 alone.

A grand gateway to the site, at the apex of the gorge's horsehoe between caves 15 and 16, was approached from the river, and is decorated with elephants on either side and a nāga, or protective snake deity.

ICONOGRAPHY OF THE CAVES

In the pre-Christian era, the Buddha was represented symbolically, in the form of the stupa. Thus, halls were made with stupas to venerate the Buddha. In later periods the images of the Buddha started to be made in coins, relic caskets, relief or loose sculptural forms, etc. However, it took a while for the human representation of the Buddha to appear in Buddhist art. One of the earliest evidences of the Buddha's human representations are found at Buddhist archaeological sites, such as Goli, Nagarjunakonda, and Amaravati. The monasteries of those sites were built in less durable media, such as wood, brick, and stone. As far as the genre of rock-cut architecture is concerned it took many centuries for the Buddha image to be depicted. Nobody knows for sure at which rock-cut cave site the first image of the Buddha was depicted. Current research indicates that Buddha images in a portable form, made of wood or stone, were introduced, for the first time, at Kanheri, to be followed soon at Ajanta Cave 8 (Dhavalikar, Jadhav, Spink, Singh). While the Kanheri example dates to 4th or 5th century CE, the Ajanta example has been dated to c. 462–478 CE (Spink). None of the rock-cut monasteries prior to these dates, and other than these examples, show any Buddha image although hundreds of rock-cut caves were made throughout India during the first few centuries CE. And, in those caves, it is the stupa that is the object of veneration, not the image. Images of the Buddha are not found in Buddhist sailagrhas (rock-cut complexes) until the times of the Kanheri (4th–5th century CE) and Ajanta examples (c. 462–478 CE).

The caves of the second period, now all dated to the 5th century, were typically described as "Mahayana", but do not show the features associated with later Mahayana Buddhism. Although the beginnings of Mahāyāna teachings go back to the 1st century there is little art and archaeological evidence to suggest that it became a mainstream cult for several centuries. In Mahayana it is not Gautama Buddha but the Bodhisattva who is important, including "deity" Bodhisattva like Manjushri and Tara, as well as aspects of the Buddha such as Aksobhya, and Amitabha. Except for a few Bodhisattva, these are not depicted at Ajanta, where the Buddha remains the dominant figure. Even the Bodhisattva images of Ajanta are never central objects of worship, but are always shown as attendants of the Buddha in the shrine. If a Bodhisattva is shown in isolation, as in the Astabhaya scenes, these were done in the very last years of activities at Ajanta, and are mostly 'intrusive' in nature, meaning that they were not planned by the original patrons, and were added by new donors after the original patrons had suddenly abandoned the region in the wake of Emperor Harisena's death.

The contrast between iconic and aniconic representations, that is, the stupa on one hand and the image of the Buddha on the other, is now being seen as a construct of the modern scholar rather than a reality of the past. The second phase of Ajanta shows that the stupa and image coincided together. If the entire corpus of the art of Ajanta including sculpture, iconography, architecture, epigraphy, and painting are analysed afresh it will become clear that there was no duality between the symbolic and human forms of the Buddha, as far as the 5th-century phase of Ajanta is concerned. That is why most current scholars tend to avoid the terms 'Hinayana' and 'Mahayana' in the context of Ajanta. They now prefer to call the second phase by the ruling dynasty, as the Vākāţaka phase.

CAVES

CAVE 1

Cave 1 was built on the eastern end of the horse-shoe shaped scarp, and is now the first cave the visitor encounters. This would when first made have been a less prominent position, right at the end of the row. According to Spink, it is one of the latest caves to have been excavated, when the best sites had been taken, and was never fully inaugurated for worship by the dedication of the Buddha image in the central shrine. This is shown by the absence of sooty deposits from butter lamps on the base of the shrine image, and the lack of damage to the paintings that would have been happened if the garland-hooks around the shrine had been in use for any period of time. Although there is no epigraphic evidence, Spink believes that the Vākāţaka Emperor Harishena was the benefactor of the work, and this is reflected in the emphasis on imagery of royalty in the cave, with those Jakata tales being selected that tell of those previous lives of the Buddha in which he was royal.

The cliff has a more steep slope here than at other caves, so to achieve a tall grand facade it was necessary to cut far back into the slope, giving a large courtyard in front of the facade. There was originally a columned portico in front of the present facade, which can be seen "half-intact in the 1880s" in pictures of the site, but this fell down completely and the remains, despite containing fine carving, were carelessly thrown down the slope into the river, from where they have been lost, presumably carried away in monsoon torrents.

This cave has one of the most elaborate carved façades, with relief sculptures on entablature and ridges, and most surfaces embellished with decorative carving. There are scenes carved from the life of the Buddha as well as a number of decorative motifs. A two pillared portico, visible in the 19th-century photographs, has since perished. The cave has a front-court with cells fronted by pillared vestibules on either side. These have a high plinth level. The cave has a porch with simple cells on both ends. The absence of pillared vestibules on the ends suggest that the porch was not excavated in the latest phase of Ajanta when pillared vestibules had become a necessity and norm. Most areas of the porch were once covered with murals, of which many fragments remain, especially on the ceiling. There are three doorways: a central doorway and two side doorways. Two square windows were carved between the doorways to brighten the interiors.

Each wall of the hall inside is nearly 12 m long and 6.1 m high. Twelve pillars make a square colonnade inside supporting the ceiling, and creating spacious aisles along the walls. There is a shrine carved on the rear wall to house an impressive seated image of the Buddha, his hands being in the dharmachakrapravartana mudra. There are four cells on each of the left, rear, and the right walls, though due to rock fault there are none at the ends of the rear aisle. The walls are covered with paintings in a fair state of preservation, though the full scheme was never completed. The scenes depicted are mostly didactic, devotional, and ornamental, with scenes from the Jataka stories of the Buddha's former existences as a bodhisattva), the life of the Gautama Buddha, and those of his veneration. The two most famous individual painted images at Ajanta are the two over-life size figures of the protective bodhisattvas Padmapani and Vajrapani on either side of the entrance to the Buddha shrine on the wall of the rear aisle (see illustrations above). According to Spink, the original dating of the paintings to about 625 arose largely or entirely because James Fegusson, a 19th-century architectural historian, had decided that a scene showing an ambassador being received, with figures in Persian dress, represented a recorded embassy to Persia (from a Hindu monarch at that) around that date.

CAVE 2

Cave 2, adjacent to Cave 1, is known for the paintings that have been preserved on its walls, ceilings, and pillars. It looks similar to Cave 1 and is in a better state of preservation.

Cave 2 has a porch quite different from Cave one. Even the façade carvings seem to be different. The cave is supported by robust pillars, ornamented with designs. The front porch consists of cells supported by pillared vestibules on both ends. The cells on the previously "wasted areas" were needed to meet the greater housing requirements in later years. Porch-end cells became a trend in all later Vakataka excavations. The simple single cells on porch-ends were converted into CPVs or were planned to provide more room, symmetry, and beauty.

The paintings on the ceilings and walls of this porch have been widely published. They depict the Jataka tales that are stories of the Buddha's life in former existences as Bodhisattva. Just as the stories illustrated in cave 1 emphasize kingship, those in cave 2 show many "noble and powerful" women in prominent roles, leading to suggestions that the patron was an unknown woman. The porch's rear wall has a doorway in the center, which allows entrance to the hall. On either side of the door is a square-shaped window to brighten the interior.

The hall has four colonnades which are supporting the ceiling and surrounding a square in the center of the hall. Each arm or colonnade of the square is parallel to the respective walls of the hall, making an aisle in between. The colonnades have rock-beams above and below them. The capitals are carved and painted with various decorative themes that include ornamental, human, animal, vegetative, and semi-divine forms.

Paintings appear on almost every surface of the cave except for the floor. At various places the art work has become eroded due to decay and human interference. Therefore, many areas of the painted walls, ceilings, and pillars are fragmentary. The painted narratives of the Jataka tales are depicted only on the walls, which demanded the special attention of the devotee. They are didactic in nature, meant to inform the community about the Buddha's teachings and life through successive rebirths. Their placement on the walls required the devotee to walk through the aisles and 'read' the narratives depicted in various episodes. The narrative episodes are depicted one after another although not in a linear order. Their identification has been a core area of research since the site's rediscovery in 1819. Dieter Schlingloff's identifications have updated our knowledge on the subject.

CAVE 4

The Archeological Survey of India board outside the caves gives the following detail about cave 4: "This is the largest monastery planned on a grandiose scale but was never finished. An inscription on the pedestal of the buddha's image mentions that it was a gift from a person named Mathura and paleographically belongs to 6th century A.D. It consists of a verandah, a hypostylar hall, sanctum with an antechamber and a series of unfinished cells. The rear wall of the verandah contains the panel of Litany of Avalokiteśvara".

The sanctuary houses a colossal image of the Buddha in preaching pose flanked by bodhisattvas and celestial nymphs hovering above.

CAVES 9-10

Caves 9 and 10 are the two chaitya halls from the first period of construction, though both were also undergoing an uncompleted reworking at the end of the second period. Cave 10 was perhaps originally of the 1st century BCE, and cave 9 about a hundred years later. The small "shrinelets" called caves 9A to 9D and 10A also date from the second period, and were commissioned by individuals.

The paintings in cave 10 include some surviving from the early period, many from an incomplete programme of modernization in the second period, and a very large number of smaller late intrusive images, nearly all Buddhas and many with donor inscriptions from individuals. These mostly avoided over-painting the "official" programme and after the best positions were used up are tucked away in less prominent positions not yet painted; the total of these (including those now lost) was probably over 300, and the hands of many different artists are visible.

OTHER CAVES

Cave 3 is merely a start of an excavation; according to Spink it was begun right at the end of the final period of work and soon abandoned. Caves 5 and 6 are viharas, the latter on two floors, that were late works of which only the lower floor of cave 6 was ever finished. The upper floor of cave 6 has many private votive sculptures, and a shrine Buddha, but is otherwise unfinished. Cave 7 has a grand facade with two porticos but, perhaps because of faults in the rock, which posed problems in many caves, was never taken very deep into the cliff, and consists only of the two porticos and a shrine room with antechamber, with no central hall. Some cells were fitted in.

Cave 8 was long thought to date to the first period of construction, but Spink sees it as perhaps the earliest cave from the second period, its shrine an "afterthought". The statue may have been loose rather than carved from the living rock, as it has now vanished. The cave was painted, but only traces remain.

SPINK´S DETAILED CHRONOLOGY

Walter M. Spink has over recent decades developed a very precise and circumstantial chronology for the second period of work on the site, which unlike earlier scholars, he places entirely in the 5th century. This is based on evidence such as the inscriptions and artistic style, combined with the many uncompleted elements of the caves. He believes the earlier group of caves, which like other scholars he dates only approximately, to the period "between 100 BCE – 100 CE", were at some later point completely abandoned and remained so "for over three centuries", as the local population had turned mainly Hindu. This changed with the accession of the Emperor Harishena of the Vakataka Dynasty, who reigned from 460 to his death in 477. Harisena extended the Central Indian Vakataka Empire to include a stretch of the east coast of India; the Gupta Empire ruled northern India at the same period, and the Pallava dynasty much of the south.

According to Spink, Harisena encouraged a group of associates, including his prime minister Varahadeva and Upendragupta, the sub-king in whose territory Ajanta was, to dig out new caves, which were individually commissioned, some containing inscriptions recording the donation. This activity began in 462 but was mostly suspended in 468 because of threats from the neighbouring Asmaka kings. Work continued on only caves 1, Harisena's own commission, and 17–20, commissioned by Upendragupta. In 472 the situation was such that work was suspended completely, in a period that Spink calls "the Hiatus", which lasted until about 475, by which time the Asmakas had replaced Upendragupta as the local rulers.

Work was then resumed, but again disrupted by Harisena's death in 477, soon after which major excavation ceased, except at cave 26, which the Asmakas were sponsoring themselves. The Asmakas launched a revolt against Harisena's son, which brought about the end of the Vakataka Dynasty. In the years 478–480 major excavation by important patrons was replaced by a rash of "intrusions" – statues added to existing caves, and small shrines dotted about where there was space between them. These were commissioned by less powerful individuals, some monks, who had not previously been able to make additions to the large excavations of the rulers and courtiers. They were added to the facades, the return sides of the entrances, and to walls inside the caves. According to Spink, "After 480, not a single image was ever made again at the site", and as Hinduism again dominated the region, the site was again abandoned, this time for over a millennium.

Spink does not use "circa" in his dates, but says that "one should allow a margin of error of one year or perhaps even two in all cases".

IMPACT ON MODERN INDIAN PAINTINGS

The Ajanta paintings, or more likely the general style they come from, influenced painting in Tibet and Sri Lanka.

The rediscovery of ancient Indian paintings at Ajanta provided Indian artists examples from ancient India to follow. Nandlal Bose experimented with techniques to follow the ancient style which allowed him to develop his unique style. Abanindranath Tagore also used the Ajanta paintings for inspiration.

WIKIPEDIA

Essentially the father of the Chicago Outfit, "Diamond Jim" or "Big Jim" Colosimo was the forerunner of Johnny Torrio and Al Capone, having founded the South Side Gang.

Born in Italy in 1878, 17-year old Colosimo emigrated to Chicago and became a bagman under aldermen "Hinky Dink" McKenna and John "Bathtub" Coughlin who delivered kickbacks from the red light district. He later operated some 200 brothels and got involved in gambling & racketeering. Ulimately, he brought together the disparate criminal crews in Chicago and formed the city's first crime organization.

Harassed by the dangerous Black Hand gang, Colosimo enlisted his wife's nephew Johnny "The Fox" Torrio to come in from New York to be his second-in-command. Torrio brought with him his own bodyguard, Alphonse Capone.

When Prohibition came along in 1920, Torrio suggested that the gang become involved in selling bootleg alcohol. Colosimo disagreed, saying it brought too much heat on the mob. Later, Colosimo was ambushed and killed in the parlor of his own restaurant. Nobody was ever arrested for the murder but it was suspected that Torrio brought in Frankie Yale to snuff his former boss. Suspicion also fell on Al Capone. Torrio then took over the gang.

Located in Section E4, Oak Woods Cemetery, 1035 E. 67th Street

Note: The mausoleum door glass is shattered from a recent break-in.

The forerunner of "Unibus". The 92 route from Park Row, Leeds to Lawnswood, was branded as "The Shuttle" to advertise the high frequency of the service along the trunk route through Woodhouse and Headingley to Lawnswood Crem terminus.

Assassin's Creed Origins is an action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the tenth major installment in the Assassin's Creed series and the successor to 2015's Assassin's Creed Syndicate. It was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on October 27, 2017. The game is set in Ancient Egypt during the Ptolemaic period and recounts the secret fictional history of real-world events. The story explores the origins of the centuries-long conflict between the Brotherhood of Assassins, who fight for peace by promoting liberty and The Order of the Ancients—forerunners to the Templar Order—who desire peace through the forceful imposition of order. Origins received positive reviews from critics, who praised the story, voice acting, immersive world of Egypt and visuals, while criticizing some of the pacing and technical issues. Despite this, some critics called it the best installment of the series since 2013's Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.

German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 280. Photo: Alex Binder, Berlin.

German humorist, couplet singer and actor Arnold Rieck (1876-1924) was a forerunner of the stand-up comedians of today. He was also one of the first stage actors who started to perform in films.

Arnold Rieck was born in 1876 in Berlin. As a boy he always joined the gallery of the Royal Playhouse to see Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet. He took acting lessons, debuted at the court theater to Gera, but his slender height smashed his aspirations of becoming a tragic hero career and - against his will – he became a comedian. Rieck first made his name as a singer of couplets and as a solo entertainer with humorous antics. Thus he became the forerunner of the classic stand-up comedian. In 1897 he made his stage debut in Gera. In 1899, the Berliner Operette was born at the Apollo Theatre and Rieck got the role of tailor Lämmermeyer in the new operetta Frau Luna (Ms. Luna) composed by Paul Lincke. The success was sensational. And from then on, Rieck appeared on several metropolitan stages. His most successful period was as a star of the Berlin Thalia Theatre. There he could be seen in such popular comedies as Charleys Tante (Charley's aunt) and in the new Berlin operettas by composer Jean Gilbert. According to himself, Arnold Rieck also was the first German stage actor, who moved over to the cinema. At the turn of the century, he appeared as the title figure in such short farces as Der Geck im Damenbade/The Dude in the ladies' bath and Piefke mit dem Floh/Piefke with the flea. Initially Rieck got a dozen plates per shooting day instead of payment. Later he received as a first fee 18 marks per day with a three-day shooting schedule. At the Messter studio he starred in such short comedies as Die fünf Sinne/The five senses (N.N., 1906) and Prinzess Rosine/Princess Rosine (N.N., 1907). The following year he appeared for the Duskes film studio in other comedy shorts like Prosit Neujahr 1909/Happy New Year 1909 (N.N.1908) with Emmy Wehlen, and Die Dollar-Prinzessin/The Dollar Princess (Alfred Duskes, 1908). Next to Guido Thielscher, Leo Peukert and Guido Herzfeld, Rieck became one of the best known representatives of the early cinema farces. In 1910 he made for the Vitacope company in Berlin the military comedy short Es wär’ so schön gewesen/It would have been so nice (director unknown, 1910).

During the first World War, Arnold Rieck amused in numerous silent comedies as a stock stiff, comical type in an ancient costume. Successful examples are the comedies Musketier Kaczmarek/Musketeer Kaczmarek (Carl Froelich, 1915) with Ressel Orla, Der standhafte Benjamin/The staunch Benjamin (Robert Wiene, 1916) with Guido Herzfeld, and Brautfahrt/Lehmann's Honeymoon (Robert Wiene, 1916). In the latter he played a stiff gymnasium Professor of Greek history who dreams that he travels to antic Hellas and falls in love with a Greek beauty. In order to persuade the daydreaming Professor to marry his cousin, his family dress themselves up as Ancient Greeks. With his high hat, roast skirt, umbrella and embroidered travel bag, he reminded his public of long outdated times, and Rieck was not afraid to ridicule himself. Shortly after the war, his type of humour felt outdated and Rieck was replaced by more subtle comedians. American stars such as Charles Chaplin and Buster Keaton now dominated the German screens. In the 1920s Rieck refocused on his stage career and worked as a humorist at Berlin's Komische Oper and the new Operetta Theater in Leipzig. In 1924, Arnold Rieck collapsed on stage in Leipzig and died unexpectedly, only 48 years old. His final film appearance had been a supporting role in the Henny Porten drama Mutter und Kind/Mother and Child (Carl Froelich, 1924). Recordings on gramophone and Zonophon records and Edison cylinders of the comedian have survived.

Sources: Gerold Ducke (Die Geschichte Berlins – German), Wikipedia (German and English) and IMDb.

FM and AM tuner. ES-series of the 1990s.

Prominent power suppy in the center of the main board with a big capacitor and two heat sinks. Sony called this "radial power supply" because of its central location.

Unit is very similar to its forerunner ST-S770ES.

Designer: Lin Zhen (李震), Wang Baishun (王百顺)

1979, July

A forerunner of liberated thought, a warrior in the protection of truth - The martyr Zhang Zhixin, a good daughter of the Party, will live forever

Sixiang jiefang de xianqu hanwei zhenli de zhanshi - Dang de hao nü'er Zhang Zhixin lieshi yongsheng (思想解放的先驱捍卫真理的战士-党的好女儿张志新烈士永生)

Call nr.: PC-1979-l-001 (Private collection)

More? See: chineseposters.net

S89-26097 (March 1989) --- An inflatable habitat similar to this could represent part of an outpost, forerunner to a permanent inhabited lunar base. Twenty years after the original manned Moon landing, a group of scientists and engineers at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) are considering the return to the Moon. The return would not be merely to explore but to learn to live and work on another planetary surface. Since 1986, a number of concepts for going to the Moon, living on its surface and adapting to its unique environment have been developed at JSC by designers who drew on experience reaching many years into the past. The habitation system depicted here may be different than represented. Actual scenarios and elements will be based on long-term strategies of the civilian space program, technological advances and public and Congressional input.

The artist has depicted here, along with the inflatable habitat a construction shack and related solar shield, connecting tunnel regolith bags for radiation protection, thermal radiation experimental six-legged walker, solar power system for the lunar oxygen pilot plant and other elements.

This concept was developed during the Lunar Base Systems Study undertaken by the Advanced Programs Office in the Engineering Office at JSC during the period 1986 to 1988. The study was performed by the Advanced Programs personnel with contractor support from Eagle Engineering, Inc. and Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Co.

On the bottom left is the S.S Possum, a tiny ferry owned and operated by the North Shore Steam Ferry Company (the forerunner to Sydney Ferries Ltd.) which ran an all-night service from Circular Quay. Tied up beside on the right is the Sapphire (1877 – 1893), typical of many small paddle ferries.

Other images of the s.s. Possum can be found in the ALBUM POSSUM

Details:

Name: Possum

Type: Passenger ferry/Tug/Cargo/Fishing

Length: 60.0 ft

Beam: 13.5 ft

Draft: 5.0 ft

Engine: Steam 12nhp S.1Cy.10"-10" Chapman &Co, Sydney

Builder: Rock Davis

Built: Blackwall, Brisbane Water, NSW.

Launched: 2nd January 1884

Official number: No 89229

Gross : 31.59 tons

Underdeck: 29.74 tons

Net: 21.48 tons

Registered: Sydney 1884/01

Owners:

- North Shore Steam Ferry Co. Ltd. Sydney - Richard Manning (1884-1899)

- Mary Wilson Blackwood

- Edwin Jackson Saxby (MO) +George Bulmer (JO) (both of Taree)

- W. Wallbridge - Hastings River

Construction:

Planking: Carvel

Stem: Scow

Figurehead: Billet

Stern: Counter elliptical

All night ferry 1884 - 1899 In March of 1884 the North Shore Steam Ferry Co. Ltd. completed the purchase of the small passenger ferry, putting her on the first all-night service from Circular Quay to Milsons Point, McMahons Point, and Lavender Bay. Aptly named the Possum and licensed to carry 120 passengers, the little steam ferry regularly ran from midnight to 5am. The single fare was 1/- ; regular nightly travellers were provided for by monthly tickets at 10/- which, for an average of 25 return trips a month, showed a substantial saving.

Collision in the Harbour

Considerable damage was sustained to the Possum when she collided with steam tug Goolwa at around 5-50am on the morning of the 13th July 1898. The Possum was coming astern from the Mosman wharf, Circular Quay, after just dropping off her passengers on the last run of the morning. Media reported the force of the impact was that great, “the Possum is a wreck above the water line, nearly the whole of her deck fittings, awnings, staff rail, and gear being carried away, her funnel lying at a rakish angle, and her stern splintered to an extent showing the force of the impact to have been violent. There was also small damage done to her machinery, the whistle-cock being broken, also the waste steam pipes, allowing a great escape of steam.” Although damage to the Goolwa was slight, the Possum was subsequently towed to the company’s wharf for repairs.

By early 1899 the Possum was replaced by the passenger ferry Nautilus.

Camden Haven - Batemans Bay 1899 - 1903

Chartered in May 1899 by Mr John Horn, the little ferry Possum took on a new role as a steam tug towing barges on the Camden Haven river in conjunction with construction of the training wall for the Public Works Dept.

Extract: “The work at the quarry has quite changed the aspect of North Brother Mountain. Where three years ago, was a gradual slope is now a cliff eighty feet deep, a sheer face of precipitous rock, at the foot of which a small army of workmen are busy loading trucks with the stone detached by blasting. It is taken to the breakwater by punts, towed by a small tug called the Possum, and at times, owing to the strong winds, narrow passage, and confined current, it taxes the skill of the Master Capt. Horn, to avoid accident. He is certainly a master of his art." Manning River Times and Advocate for the Northern Districts of New South Wales - Saturday 26th January 1901

During this time Mr Horn was also successful in tendering for other towing work and, for a period, the Possum was engaged in the Harbours and Rivers work at Batemans Bay NSW.

Manning River NSW 1903 - 1905

Australian Dairying Company

In October 1903 the Australian Dairying Company had just purchased the steam ferry Oceana, for their operations on the Manning River, but tragedy struck on the 7th October 1903 whilst crossing the Harrington bar on her maiden run from Sydney, the Oceana capsized and was a total loss.

"Australian Dairying Co. – Capt. Craig, Managing Director of the Australian Dairying Co., who has been on a visit to the district for a few days, left for Sydney again by the Electra on Thursday. Capt Craig informs us that, in order to make better provision for the conveyance of cream to the Purfleet factory, the company has been fortunate in chartering for a term of six months the steamer Possum, which was formerly engaged on the Camden Haven towing punts for the harbour works. The Possum, which is a speedy little boat, is licensed to carry 120 passengers, and has just received a thorough overhauling. She is roomy and comfortable, has a length of about 60 feet, with a beam of 14 ft, and a depth of 6 ft. Mr George J Rickets is to have command of the steamer, which is expected to arrive on the Manning in the course of a day or two. If necessary the Possum may be chartered for a longer period, but on the termination of her contract with the A.D. Co, we understand, she is to be used by Mr M Parker, of Taree for river trading purposes. On the recovery of the boiler and engines, which were lost in the wreck of the Oceana on the Harrington bar, it is the company’s intention to have a steamer constructed on the river in every respect similar to the Oceana - all the seats, life saving apparatus, & etc being at Taree, having been sent on ahead of the wrecked steamer. The Possum should be a very suitable boat on the river.

We have received a wire from Capt. Craig stating that the Electra passed the Possum off Broken Bay at 7 o’clock yesterday. (Friday morning, proceeding north.)"

Manning River Times and Advocate for the Northern Districts of New South Wales (Taree, NSW : 1898 – 1954) Saturday 7th November 1903.

Crossing the bar The smart little steamer Possum crossed the Harrington bar at the mouth of the Manning River on Tuesday the 10th November 1903, arriving at the Australian Dairying Company’s wharf in Taree by 2pm. During the 6 months charter to the company the Possum not only transported milk to the factory, but was occasionally called upon for some towing duties and the conveyance of passengers to regattas and outings around the river.

It was also during this period that there was a change of ownership of the Possum to Mr E Saxby and Mr G Bulmer (both of Taree).

River trader On 11th May 1904 after her short time with the Australian Dairying Company the Possum was handed back to her owners. Beached near Fotheringham’s wharf Taree, the steamer underwent a thorough overhaul, including the addition of an extra deck house.

Media Advertisement The SS. Possum - Mr. E. J. Saxby announces that the steamer Possum will carry parcels to any part of the river at reasonable rates. The steamer is also fitted for towing, and is open for charter on Wednesday and Saturday- being certified to carry 130 passengers.

Camden Haven and Hastings River 1905-1906

Fishing Boat

By August 1905 the Possum was chartered to Mr W. Mathers of Dunbogan NSW to be used in the fishing industry. After undergoing a complete overhaul, and the fitting of an extra mast at the Cundletown dry dock, the Possum crossed out over the Harrington bar on the 7th August 1905 bound for the Camden Haven.

Hastings River - Port Macquarie NSW

She operated out of both Camden Haven and the Hastings River. Within a few months as a fishing boat, tragedy struck when, in January 1906, when the Possum sank alongside her moorings at Settlement Point Farm, about 1 ½ miles upstream from Port Macquarie. The cause of the sinking was attributed to the fact that the Possum was thought to be moored too close to a sloping bank and the tide receding caused her to turn turtle.

Possum Sold

The little steamer was sold and successfully raised from her watery grave by her new owner Mr. W. Wallbridge in May 1906 and underwent repairs on the Hamilton slip before resuming her life on the river. The last media article mentioning the Possum was in April 1907 when “Mr Wallbridge conveyed a good number of up-river folk to and from the regatta in his well-known steamer Possum.”

Fate: Listed as lost Hastings River NSW 1911. Register closed 14th April 1913.

Image Source:

Image 079003: Graeme Andrews Working Harbour Collection. (City of Sydney Archives.)

Acknowledgements: The assistance of Mori Flapan (Mori Flapan boatregister) by providing access to his extensive database is greatly appreciated.

The assistance of the Cundletown Museum by providing access to their extensive collection of information and images is greatly appreciated.

Cundletown Museum

All Images in this photostream are Copyright - Great Lakes Manning River Shipping and/or their individual owners as may be stated above and may not be downloaded, reproduced, or used in any way without prior written approval.

GREAT LAKES MANNING RIVER SHIPPING, NSW - Flick Group --> Alphabetical Boat Index --> Boat builders Index --> Tags List

Cedar Travel / Cedarbus was a forerunner of Compass Bus that ran services in Worthing until selling out to Stagecoach in 1989. I never actually managed to photograph them in service, but I did find some of their vehicles lurking in West Worthing station car park on 16th April 1988.

Former Midland Red Leyland Leopard / Marshall JHA 232L, blinded for service C3. The Enterprise name on the cove panels was left over from a previous operator in Coventry.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

In September 1939, the US Army was ill-prepared as far as armored vehicles, training and tactics went. Soon, it became clear that a new model, which could be favorably compared to the European models, had to be studied for mass production. The very early M1 Combat Car was nothing more than a very small tank with two machine guns. Its main purpose was scouting and as such ordered for “cavalry” units. This was in 1937, and became the forerunner of all light tanks to come.

In 1935, a new model, the M2 Light Tank, was designed. At first, it was an immediate upgrade of the M1, but with the heavier .50 (12.7 mm) caliber machine gun, immediately followed by the M2A2 with twin turrets equipped with .30 (7.62 mm) caliber M1919 machine guns. The “Mae West” gave way in 1938 to a small series of M2A3 37 mm (1.45 in) single turret tanks, and then to the final M2A4 in 1940, with improved armor, motorization and equipment. These fought at Guadalcanal with the US Marine Corps, and with the British Army through Lend-Lease, performing well in Burma and India against the Japanese, despite being obsolete.

After the Africa campaign, British Stuarts and Parsival took successfully part in the liberation of Italy. About 500 were produced, 160 of them were delivered to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease, the rest was exclusively operated by the British Army in Europe. Parsivals, M3s, M3A3s, and M5s continued in British service until the end of the war.

Specifications:

Crew: Three (commander, driver, radio operator)

Weight: 10.8 tons

Length: 14ft 2in (4.33 m)

Width: 7ft 4in (2.33 m)

Height: 2.49 metres (8 ft 1 1/2 in)

Suspension: Christie system

Ground clearance: 16.5" (419 mm)

Fuel capacity: 54 US gal (200 l)

Armor:

0.52 - 2 in (13 - 51 mm)

Performance:

Speed:

- Maximum, road: 40 mph (65 km/h)

- Cross country: 22 mph (36 km/h)

Climbing capability:

- 40% side slope and 60% max grade

- Vertical obstacle of 24 inches (61 cm)

- 72 inches (1,8 m) trench crossing

Fording depth: 36 inches (91 cm)

Operational range: 100 ml (160 km) on road with internal fuel

Power/weight: 23.1 hp/t

Engine:

1× Guiberson T-1020 9-cylinder radial diesel engine with a 1,021 cu in (16.73 l) displacement,

delivering 250 hp (190 kW)

Transmission:

Hydramatic, 4 speeds forward, 1 reverse

Armament:

1× 0.5” (12.7) mm M2 machine gun with 900 rounds

3× 0.303” (7,62 mm) M1919A4 machine guns

(co-axial in the turret, in the front bow and as an AA weapon on top of the turret)

with a total of 6,750 rounds

2× smoke dischargers on the turret’s right side

The kit and its assembly:

This M3 conversion was spawned by the idea of a dedicated recce variant of the popular Stuart tank. Originally, I just planned to use the chassis from a Hasegawa 1:72 kit and replace the turret with a smaller option (including lighter armament), I already had organized a resin turret for/from an American T17 “Staghound” WWII recce car. But, as always, you can drive a simple idea easily further, so that I also thought about a different suspension and other modifications that would improve the tank’s agility. This led to a Christie-style running gear and the deletion of the M3’s machine gun sponsons, which were in practice used as storage space after the machine guns had been deleted.

The Staghound turret came from a ModelTrans/Silesian Models conversion set, which also includes a nice commander figure as well as two fuel drums. The sponsons were simply cut away and the gaps filled with 0.5 mm styrene sheet – a small modification, and thanks to the M3’s boxy hull design a simple affair. Only some small PSR on the side wall implants as well as on the mudguards (which are segmented) was necessary, and this modification changes the M3’s look considerably!

The running gear was scratched and more complicated, in particular because assembly and painting had to go hand in hand. The eight road wheels actually come from a 1:72 T-72 tank from ModelCollect, their width perfectly matched the track’s and they had the same size as the M3’s large idler wheel at the rear. The road wheels’ depth just looks a little disturbing, but not implausible. The trailing idler wheel (using the original suspension arm) defined the stance and the other wheels were mounted on plastic rods to the hull, with simulated suspensions arms (styrene profile) behind them. Since the drive and idler wheels’ position effectively remained unchanged, I was able to use the OOB vinyl tracks, which are really smooth and easy to handle. However, this move necessitated to retain the return wheels – I wanted to omit them, for an even more Christie-esque look, but without them the track would have been too long and slacked through, with a lot of space between the tracks and the mudguards. Nevertheless, the return wheels’ position was slightly changed, in order to reflect the modified road wheels’ position. And the whole affair simply looks different from the original, so I am fine with it.

In order to liven the small tank up, I added the fuel drums from the Staghound set to the rear fenders and added some more boxes and folded tarpaulins (made from paper tissue drenched in thinned white glue) on the mudguards, somewhat masking the new side walls from sight. I also mounted the M3’s OOB AA machine gun to the turret.

Painting and markings:

I wanted a Northern Africa paint scheme and at first considered the iconic Caunter scheme, but then I thought that, since this livery was also used on the real British Stuarts, I rather wanted something different.

I eventually settled for a simple two-tone scheme, used on British cruiser tanks like the Crusader as well as on M3 Lee medium tanks of American origin. The basic colors I used are Humbrol 168 (Hemp) for the Light Stone tone, and Humbrol 98 (Chocolate) for the dull, dark brown.

As common practice, the basic colors were separated with thin, white lines in order to emphasize the contrast between them. Sometimes in practice, an additional black line was added, too, but due to the model’s small size I just painted a white line.

Another common practice of the British army, esp. on cruiser tanks with large wheels, was to paint the front and rear road wheels in a uniform, light color, while the wheels between them became dark – an attempt to mimic a lorry, esp. when a light “Sunshield” canopy was mounted over the hull that resembled a truck’s outline.

The model received a light wash with a mix of black, grey and brown, the decals (taken from the OOB sheet) were applied next. Over this came some dry-brushing with light grey and ochre and the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (from the rattle can). Once the tracks were mounted, the lower areas of the tank were finally dusted with a mix of sand and light grey pigments.

Even though the Hasegawa M3 was a simple basis to start with, the conversions, esp. the running gear, were quite challenging. But I like the result a lot: the Parsival looks like a slimmed-down race variant of the M3, just what I wanted to achieve, and the British camouflage suits the small tank well, too – the white contrast line adds an exotic touch.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

In September 1939, the US Army was ill-prepared as far as armored vehicles, training and tactics went. Soon, it became clear that a new model, which could be favorably compared to the European models, had to be studied for mass production. The very early M1 Combat Car was nothing more than a very small tank with two machine guns. Its main purpose was scouting and as such ordered for “cavalry” units. This was in 1937, and became the forerunner of all light tanks to come.

In 1935, a new model, the M2 Light Tank, was designed. At first, it was an immediate upgrade of the M1, but with the heavier .50 (12.7 mm) caliber machine gun, immediately followed by the M2A2 with twin turrets equipped with .30 (7.62 mm) caliber M1919 machine guns. The “Mae West” gave way in 1938 to a small series of M2A3 37 mm (1.45 in) single turret tanks, and then to the final M2A4 in 1940, with improved armor, motorization and equipment. These fought at Guadalcanal with the US Marine Corps, and with the British Army through Lend-Lease, performing well in Burma and India against the Japanese, despite being obsolete.

After the Africa campaign, British Stuarts and Parsival took successfully part in the liberation of Italy. About 500 were produced, 160 of them were delivered to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease, the rest was exclusively operated by the British Army in Europe. Parsivals, M3s, M3A3s, and M5s continued in British service until the end of the war.

Specifications:

Crew: Three (commander, driver, radio operator)

Weight: 10.8 tons

Length: 14ft 2in (4.33 m)

Width: 7ft 4in (2.33 m)

Height: 2.49 metres (8 ft 1 1/2 in)

Suspension: Christie system

Ground clearance: 16.5" (419 mm)

Fuel capacity: 54 US gal (200 l)

Armor:

0.52 - 2 in (13 - 51 mm)

Performance:

Speed:

- Maximum, road: 40 mph (65 km/h)

- Cross country: 22 mph (36 km/h)

Climbing capability:

- 40% side slope and 60% max grade

- Vertical obstacle of 24 inches (61 cm)

- 72 inches (1,8 m) trench crossing

Fording depth: 36 inches (91 cm)

Operational range: 100 ml (160 km) on road with internal fuel

Power/weight: 23.1 hp/t

Engine:

1× Guiberson T-1020 9-cylinder radial diesel engine with a 1,021 cu in (16.73 l) displacement,

delivering 250 hp (190 kW)

Transmission:

Hydramatic, 4 speeds forward, 1 reverse

Armament:

1× 0.5” (12.7) mm M2 machine gun with 900 rounds

3× 0.303” (7,62 mm) M1919A4 machine guns

(co-axial in the turret, in the front bow and as an AA weapon on top of the turret)

with a total of 6,750 rounds

2× smoke dischargers on the turret’s right side

The kit and its assembly:

This M3 conversion was spawned by the idea of a dedicated recce variant of the popular Stuart tank. Originally, I just planned to use the chassis from a Hasegawa 1:72 kit and replace the turret with a smaller option (including lighter armament), I already had organized a resin turret for/from an American T17 “Staghound” WWII recce car. But, as always, you can drive a simple idea easily further, so that I also thought about a different suspension and other modifications that would improve the tank’s agility. This led to a Christie-style running gear and the deletion of the M3’s machine gun sponsons, which were in practice used as storage space after the machine guns had been deleted.

The Staghound turret came from a ModelTrans/Silesian Models conversion set, which also includes a nice commander figure as well as two fuel drums. The sponsons were simply cut away and the gaps filled with 0.5 mm styrene sheet – a small modification, and thanks to the M3’s boxy hull design a simple affair. Only some small PSR on the side wall implants as well as on the mudguards (which are segmented) was necessary, and this modification changes the M3’s look considerably!

The running gear was scratched and more complicated, in particular because assembly and painting had to go hand in hand. The eight road wheels actually come from a 1:72 T-72 tank from ModelCollect, their width perfectly matched the track’s and they had the same size as the M3’s large idler wheel at the rear. The road wheels’ depth just looks a little disturbing, but not implausible. The trailing idler wheel (using the original suspension arm) defined the stance and the other wheels were mounted on plastic rods to the hull, with simulated suspensions arms (styrene profile) behind them. Since the drive and idler wheels’ position effectively remained unchanged, I was able to use the OOB vinyl tracks, which are really smooth and easy to handle. However, this move necessitated to retain the return wheels – I wanted to omit them, for an even more Christie-esque look, but without them the track would have been too long and slacked through, with a lot of space between the tracks and the mudguards. Nevertheless, the return wheels’ position was slightly changed, in order to reflect the modified road wheels’ position. And the whole affair simply looks different from the original, so I am fine with it.

In order to liven the small tank up, I added the fuel drums from the Staghound set to the rear fenders and added some more boxes and folded tarpaulins (made from paper tissue drenched in thinned white glue) on the mudguards, somewhat masking the new side walls from sight. I also mounted the M3’s OOB AA machine gun to the turret.

Painting and markings:

I wanted a Northern Africa paint scheme and at first considered the iconic Caunter scheme, but then I thought that, since this livery was also used on the real British Stuarts, I rather wanted something different.

I eventually settled for a simple two-tone scheme, used on British cruiser tanks like the Crusader as well as on M3 Lee medium tanks of American origin. The basic colors I used are Humbrol 168 (Hemp) for the Light Stone tone, and Humbrol 98 (Chocolate) for the dull, dark brown.

As common practice, the basic colors were separated with thin, white lines in order to emphasize the contrast between them. Sometimes in practice, an additional black line was added, too, but due to the model’s small size I just painted a white line.

Another common practice of the British army, esp. on cruiser tanks with large wheels, was to paint the front and rear road wheels in a uniform, light color, while the wheels between them became dark – an attempt to mimic a lorry, esp. when a light “Sunshield” canopy was mounted over the hull that resembled a truck’s outline.

The model received a light wash with a mix of black, grey and brown, the decals (taken from the OOB sheet) were applied next. Over this came some dry-brushing with light grey and ochre and the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (from the rattle can). Once the tracks were mounted, the lower areas of the tank were finally dusted with a mix of sand and light grey pigments.

Even though the Hasegawa M3 was a simple basis to start with, the conversions, esp. the running gear, were quite challenging. But I like the result a lot: the Parsival looks like a slimmed-down race variant of the M3, just what I wanted to achieve, and the British camouflage suits the small tank well, too – the white contrast line adds an exotic touch.

This was for sale on eBay today.

Background:

www.nysm.nysed.gov/publications/record/vol_01/pdfs/CH04El...

IROQUOIS BEADWORK:

A Haudenosaunee Tradition and Art

Dolores Elliott

The Iroquois tradition of raised beadwork began in west- ern New York in the late eighteenth century. It is slightly older than the other great North American Indian bead- working tradition that the Lakota, Cheyenne, and other people of the Plains developed. Raised beadwork is unique to the Haudenosaunee; it is made nowhere else in the world. The Senecas, who decorated clothes, sashes, and small pincushions with small glass beads in the eigh- teenth century, probably invented the style of Iroquois beadwork that still exists today. They were making bead- ed pincushions by 1799 and purses by 1807. In the mid- nineteenth century, ethnohistorian Lewis H. Morgan noted in his League of the Ho-de’-no-sau-see, or Iroquois the “delicacy, even brilliancy of their bead-work embroidery” on women’s clothing (1851, Book 3:384), and he included illustrations of beadwork on a needle case, woman’s skirt, cradleboard, heart-shaped pincushion, and work bag, the forerunner of a modern purse. He reported that in 1849 he had purchased five varieties of work bags as well as three varieties of pin cushions and five varieties of needle books (Morgan 1850, 57).

(Figure 4.1). While they sold their goods at nearby Montreal, the Mohawks also traveled extensively throughout North America to sell at fairs, exhibitions, wild west shows, and Indian medicine shows. Some even sold their beadwork when they traveled to England to perform Indian dances at Earls Court, an exhibition ground in London. Photographs taken in 1905 show these performers attired in clothing decorated with Mohawk beadwork.

The Iroquois tradition of beadwork continued to evolve in the nineteenth century, and by 1860 Mohawks near Montreal and Tuscaroras near Niagara Falls were creating elaborate pincushions, purses, and wall hangings adorned with raised beadwork. Despite the similarity of items created, the two geographic areas developed different styles of beadwork (Table 4.1). Throughout the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, at the height of beadwork production, the Tuscaroras sold their beadwork mostly at Niagara Falls, on their reservation, and at the New York State Fair. They preferred to use small clear and white beads. During this same period, the Mohawks used larger clear beads and also employed red, blue, green, and yellow beads on most of their early pieces

Figure 4.1. Two needle cases that illustrate differences in nineteenth- century Mohawk (left) and Niagara (right) beadwork.

My personal family experience illustrates typical Iroquois beadwork transactions in the twentieth century. My story starts in 1903 when my grandmother went to the Afton Fair, a small agricultural fair in central New York. She took my nine-year-old father, but his sister, then eleven, was sick and could not go. My grandmother brought her home a present from the fair. It was a beauti- ful pink satin-covered bird-shaped pincushion that sparkled with light green beads (Figure 4.2). My aunt treasured this bird throughout her long life and displayed it proudly in her china cabinet, where I saw it when I was a child. At her death this cherished heirloom was passed on to her daughter who later donated it to the Afton Historical Society in Chenango County, where it is presently on view.

My research indicates that this bird was made by a skilled Mohawk beadworker from a Mohawk community located near Montreal and several hundred miles from the Afton Fair. This pincushion probably got to the fair with a group of Mohawks who traveled by train or wagon to perform at fairs, medicine shows, and exhibi- tions. While at these venues, they also sold their hand- made baskets and beadwork.

In 1958 I bought a small red heart-shaped pincushion at a booth in the Indian Village at the New York State Fair, which is held near Syracuse (Figure 4.3). It was a present for my mother, who displayed it prominently on her bed- room dresser for the next twenty-five years until I inher- ited it. Mary Lou Printup, a leading Tuscarora sewer, later identified this pincushion as one she had made. She, like most Tuscarora beadworkers prefer to be called “sewers,” a term not popular with some other Iroquois beadwork- ers. In my research and writing, I use the word “bead- worker” to refer to all except those individuals who specifically prefer to be called “sewers.”

When I purchased the red heart I had no idea that this pincushion had anything in common with the bird that my grandmother acquired fifty-five years earlier. I knew that I wanted to get something special for my mother, and this pincushion was special because it was beautiful and made by a native artist. In buying it I shared something with my grandmother, who died before I was born, that is, the purchase of a piece of Iroquois beadwork. Most likely the purchase of the bird was my German-born grandmother’s only interaction with a Haudenosaunee woman, and my purchase at the State Fair was my first interaction with a Tuscarora sewer, the first of many.

In a similar manner Iroquois beadworkers and their non- Indian customers, often tourists or attendees at a public entertainment venue, have been brought together by bead-work for over two centuries. These transactions undoubtedly number in the tens of thousands.1 During honeymoon trips to Niagara Falls and visits to agricultural fairs, exhibitions, and other attractions, people purchased Iroquois beadwork as mementos to remember these places and experiences. The beads often form designs featuring birds and flowers, natural themes that appealed to the Victorian women who drove the market of souvenir sales in the nine- teenth century. Studies by Beverly Gordon (1984; 1986) and Ruth B. Phillips (1998) describe the souvenir trade and point out the importance of these items to the people on both sides of the transactions.

Souvenir beadwork was so treasured that the pieces were frequently kept in cedar chests or keepsake boxes. Therefore, when unwrapped one hundred or more years later, they are often in pristine condition. Ironically, few contemporary beadworkers have samples of their ancestors’ work because it was usually made for sale to strangers, although some beadwork was created as gifts for family and friends.

Because most pieces were made for sale to tourists, many people have dismissed Iroquois beadwork as “souvenir trinkets” not important enough to collect, study, or exhibit. In fact, they are often called whimsies, a term that I believe trivializes them and diminishes their artistic and cultural value. But within the last two decades Iroquois beadwork has become the subject of serious study and museum exhibitions. At least four traveling exhibits of Iroquois beadwork have been installed in over a dozen museums and seen by thousands of museum visitors in the United States and Canada since 1999.2 This scholarly recognition has resulted in an increased appreciation of these beadwork creations and the artists who made them. What were considered curious tourist souvenirs when they were made are now generating increased respect from both the general public and the Haudenosaunee.

ry pieces, the back is a colorful calico. Some pieces, mainly in the Niagara Tradition, have a silk or cotton binding around their perimeters to cover the cut edges and attach the front and back fabrics. Tight beadwork on the edging often binds Mohawk pieces together so a cloth binding is not necessary. Flat purses as well as fist and box purses are constructed in the same manner, with cardboard as the base.

Contemporary beadworkers see their work as a signif- icant part of Haudenosaunee culture and an important link to the past. In Haudenosaunee communities bead- workers are admired as continuing a revered tradition. Although there are a few male beadworkers, the majority are women, and in a matrilineal-society with powerful clan matrons, the economic benefit of beadwork sales increases the influence of the women even more.

Pincushions were usually stuffed with sawdust, but sweet grass, cotton, cattail fluff, newspapers, and poly- ester have also been used. Contemporary craftsmen remember that their mothers preferred pine sawdust because of the nice aroma.4 Small strawberry-shaped pin- cushions are traditionally filled with emery, used to sharpen and polish needles. Velvet and twill-covered pic- ture frames and other wall hangings on cardboard bases have polished cotton backs on earlier pieces and calico on more recent ones. European glass beads were often aug- mented with metal sequins on nineteenth-century pieces and with plastic sequins and other plastic novelty beads since the late twentieth century. Bone and shell beads and leather, which are often used in other American Indian beadwork, rarely occur in Iroquois beadwork.

Iroquois beadwork is still sold at Niagara Falls, the New York State Fair, and several pow wows and festivals in the northeast; the methods of beadwork distribution have changed little over two hundred years. The bead-work itself, however, has changed tremendously. Over the last two centuries the styles of beadwork have evolved from simple small pincushions and purses to highly elaborate shapes, becoming works of art in the tra- ditional sense. The beads selected have progressed from the very small seed beads used around 1800 to the larger seed beads of 1900 and finally, by 2000, to a wider variety of bead sizes and colours.

The most common form of Iroquois beadwork, and the form most easily recognizable by people who are not familiar with Iroquois beadwork, is the flat black purse or bag featuring identical colorful, beaded floral designs on both sides. Most flat bags have flaps on both sides, but the opening is across the top where the two sides meet. The face fabric is usually black or very dark brown velvet, and the interior is often a light-colored linen or polished cot- ton. A binding, usually red, is attached around the closed sides of the purses. A beaded fringe is sometimes added. The fringe is merely sewn to the binding and does not hold the two sides of the bag together; it is purely deco- rative. The flaps usually are edged with white beads that are larger than the beads that outline the flaps and body (Figure 4.4). The flaps and body are sometimes outlined with short parallel lines like a stockade. The faces of the flap and body are covered by stylized flowers in shades of blue, red, yellow, and white connected with green stems, which are sometimes striped in two shades of green. Some bags feature a small slit pocket under one of the flaps. It may have been meant to hold a comb or mirror.

Iroquois beadwork remains a unique art form distin- guished by several characteristics found only in work created by Haudenosaunee beadworkers. Iroquois beadwork features a design in glass beads that have been sewn on a fabric that is stretched over a backing of cardboard or cloth lining. The materials used in the beadwork are predominately small seed beads, cloth, cardboard, paper, and in pincushions, a stuffing. The beads are sewn onto the fabric in geometric or natural designs using waxed, doubled white thread.3 The beads are usually sewn over a paper pattern that remains in place under the beaded elements. Although not practiced at all times in the histo- ry of Iroquois beadwork, the most distinctive trait is that the beads are raised above the surface of the cloth face. Some pieces have raised beaded elements that are over an inch high. The beads are raised by putting more beads on the thread than is needed to span the pattern so that the beads form an arch above the pattern. The amount of extra beads determines how high the arches are, that is, how much the beadwork is raised. Various velvets were and still are the favored fabrics, but other fabrics such as wool, twills, silk, and satin are also used. Pincushions often have beaded velvet fronts and polished cotton backs. Polished cotton is a shiny stiff material that is also referred to as chintz or oilcloth. On the majority of late twentieth-century and contemporary twenty-first-century...

Preserving Tradition and Understanding the Past: Papers from the Conference on Iroquois Research, 2001–2005, Edited by Christine Sternberg Patrick, New York State Museum Record 1 © 2010, by The University of the State of New York, The State Education Department, Albany, New York 12230. All rights reserved.

History :

On March 31, 1913, Faisanterie Buitenlust, the forerunner of the current modern animal park Burgers' Zoo, opens its doors to the public for the first time. Since its foundation by Johan Burgers, the first owner and the one who named the animal park in Arnhem, the park has always remained a real family business.

Already from its inception the zoo caused a sensation due to its daring new organisation, which naturally is in the way the animals' accommodations are shaped as well as in the way the experiences for the visitors are created. Burgers' Zoo has a rich history, which has shaped the zoo into the way it is today, and as you can still find it now in the wooded area just north of Arnhem

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

In September 1939, the US Army was ill-prepared as far as armored vehicles, training and tactics went. Soon, it became clear that a new model, which could be favorably compared to the European models, had to be studied for mass production. The very early M1 Combat Car was nothing more than a very small tank with two machine guns. Its main purpose was scouting and as such ordered for “cavalry” units. This was in 1937, and became the forerunner of all light tanks to come.

In 1935, a new model, the M2 Light Tank, was designed. At first, it was an immediate upgrade of the M1, but with the heavier .50 (12.7 mm) caliber machine gun, immediately followed by the M2A2 with twin turrets equipped with .30 (7.62 mm) caliber M1919 machine guns. The “Mae West” gave way in 1938 to a small series of M2A3 37 mm (1.45 in) single turret tanks, and then to the final M2A4 in 1940, with improved armor, motorization and equipment. These fought at Guadalcanal with the US Marine Corps, and with the British Army through Lend-Lease, performing well in Burma and India against the Japanese, despite being obsolete.

After the Africa campaign, British Stuarts and Parsival took successfully part in the liberation of Italy. About 500 were produced, 160 of them were delivered to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease, the rest was exclusively operated by the British Army in Europe. Parsivals, M3s, M3A3s, and M5s continued in British service until the end of the war.

Specifications:

Crew: Three (commander, driver, radio operator)

Weight: 10.8 tons

Length: 14ft 2in (4.33 m)

Width: 7ft 4in (2.33 m)

Height: 2.49 metres (8 ft 1 1/2 in)

Suspension: Christie system

Ground clearance: 16.5" (419 mm)

Fuel capacity: 54 US gal (200 l)

Armor:

0.52 - 2 in (13 - 51 mm)

Performance:

Speed:

- Maximum, road: 40 mph (65 km/h)

- Cross country: 22 mph (36 km/h)

Climbing capability:

- 40% side slope and 60% max grade

- Vertical obstacle of 24 inches (61 cm)

- 72 inches (1,8 m) trench crossing

Fording depth: 36 inches (91 cm)

Operational range: 100 ml (160 km) on road with internal fuel

Power/weight: 23.1 hp/t

Engine:

1× Guiberson T-1020 9-cylinder radial diesel engine with a 1,021 cu in (16.73 l) displacement,

delivering 250 hp (190 kW)

Transmission:

Hydramatic, 4 speeds forward, 1 reverse

Armament:

1× 0.5” (12.7) mm M2 machine gun with 900 rounds

3× 0.303” (7,62 mm) M1919A4 machine guns

(co-axial in the turret, in the front bow and as an AA weapon on top of the turret)

with a total of 6,750 rounds

2× smoke dischargers on the turret’s right side

The kit and its assembly:

This M3 conversion was spawned by the idea of a dedicated recce variant of the popular Stuart tank. Originally, I just planned to use the chassis from a Hasegawa 1:72 kit and replace the turret with a smaller option (including lighter armament), I already had organized a resin turret for/from an American T17 “Staghound” WWII recce car. But, as always, you can drive a simple idea easily further, so that I also thought about a different suspension and other modifications that would improve the tank’s agility. This led to a Christie-style running gear and the deletion of the M3’s machine gun sponsons, which were in practice used as storage space after the machine guns had been deleted.

The Staghound turret came from a ModelTrans/Silesian Models conversion set, which also includes a nice commander figure as well as two fuel drums. The sponsons were simply cut away and the gaps filled with 0.5 mm styrene sheet – a small modification, and thanks to the M3’s boxy hull design a simple affair. Only some small PSR on the side wall implants as well as on the mudguards (which are segmented) was necessary, and this modification changes the M3’s look considerably!

The running gear was scratched and more complicated, in particular because assembly and painting had to go hand in hand. The eight road wheels actually come from a 1:72 T-72 tank from ModelCollect, their width perfectly matched the track’s and they had the same size as the M3’s large idler wheel at the rear. The road wheels’ depth just looks a little disturbing, but not implausible. The trailing idler wheel (using the original suspension arm) defined the stance and the other wheels were mounted on plastic rods to the hull, with simulated suspensions arms (styrene profile) behind them. Since the drive and idler wheels’ position effectively remained unchanged, I was able to use the OOB vinyl tracks, which are really smooth and easy to handle. However, this move necessitated to retain the return wheels – I wanted to omit them, for an even more Christie-esque look, but without them the track would have been too long and slacked through, with a lot of space between the tracks and the mudguards. Nevertheless, the return wheels’ position was slightly changed, in order to reflect the modified road wheels’ position. And the whole affair simply looks different from the original, so I am fine with it.

In order to liven the small tank up, I added the fuel drums from the Staghound set to the rear fenders and added some more boxes and folded tarpaulins (made from paper tissue drenched in thinned white glue) on the mudguards, somewhat masking the new side walls from sight. I also mounted the M3’s OOB AA machine gun to the turret.

Painting and markings:

I wanted a Northern Africa paint scheme and at first considered the iconic Caunter scheme, but then I thought that, since this livery was also used on the real British Stuarts, I rather wanted something different.

I eventually settled for a simple two-tone scheme, used on British cruiser tanks like the Crusader as well as on M3 Lee medium tanks of American origin. The basic colors I used are Humbrol 168 (Hemp) for the Light Stone tone, and Humbrol 98 (Chocolate) for the dull, dark brown.

As common practice, the basic colors were separated with thin, white lines in order to emphasize the contrast between them. Sometimes in practice, an additional black line was added, too, but due to the model’s small size I just painted a white line.

Another common practice of the British army, esp. on cruiser tanks with large wheels, was to paint the front and rear road wheels in a uniform, light color, while the wheels between them became dark – an attempt to mimic a lorry, esp. when a light “Sunshield” canopy was mounted over the hull that resembled a truck’s outline.

The model received a light wash with a mix of black, grey and brown, the decals (taken from the OOB sheet) were applied next. Over this came some dry-brushing with light grey and ochre and the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (from the rattle can). Once the tracks were mounted, the lower areas of the tank were finally dusted with a mix of sand and light grey pigments.

Even though the Hasegawa M3 was a simple basis to start with, the conversions, esp. the running gear, were quite challenging. But I like the result a lot: the Parsival looks like a slimmed-down race variant of the M3, just what I wanted to achieve, and the British camouflage suits the small tank well, too – the white contrast line adds an exotic touch.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

In September 1939, the US Army was ill-prepared as far as armored vehicles, training and tactics went. Soon, it became clear that a new model, which could be favorably compared to the European models, had to be studied for mass production. The very early M1 Combat Car was nothing more than a very small tank with two machine guns. Its main purpose was scouting and as such ordered for “cavalry” units. This was in 1937, and became the forerunner of all light tanks to come.

In 1935, a new model, the M2 Light Tank, was designed. At first, it was an immediate upgrade of the M1, but with the heavier .50 (12.7 mm) caliber machine gun, immediately followed by the M2A2 with twin turrets equipped with .30 (7.62 mm) caliber M1919 machine guns. The “Mae West” gave way in 1938 to a small series of M2A3 37 mm (1.45 in) single turret tanks, and then to the final M2A4 in 1940, with improved armor, motorization and equipment. These fought at Guadalcanal with the US Marine Corps, and with the British Army through Lend-Lease, performing well in Burma and India against the Japanese, despite being obsolete.

After the Africa campaign, British Stuarts and Parsival took successfully part in the liberation of Italy. About 500 were produced, 160 of them were delivered to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease, the rest was exclusively operated by the British Army in Europe. Parsivals, M3s, M3A3s, and M5s continued in British service until the end of the war.

Specifications:

Crew: Three (commander, driver, radio operator)

Weight: 10.8 tons

Length: 14ft 2in (4.33 m)

Width: 7ft 4in (2.33 m)

Height: 2.49 metres (8 ft 1 1/2 in)

Suspension: Christie system

Ground clearance: 16.5" (419 mm)

Fuel capacity: 54 US gal (200 l)

Armor:

0.52 - 2 in (13 - 51 mm)

Performance:

Speed:

- Maximum, road: 40 mph (65 km/h)

- Cross country: 22 mph (36 km/h)

Climbing capability:

- 40% side slope and 60% max grade

- Vertical obstacle of 24 inches (61 cm)

- 72 inches (1,8 m) trench crossing

Fording depth: 36 inches (91 cm)

Operational range: 100 ml (160 km) on road with internal fuel

Power/weight: 23.1 hp/t

Engine:

1× Guiberson T-1020 9-cylinder radial diesel engine with a 1,021 cu in (16.73 l) displacement,

delivering 250 hp (190 kW)

Transmission:

Hydramatic, 4 speeds forward, 1 reverse

Armament:

1× 0.5” (12.7) mm M2 machine gun with 900 rounds

3× 0.303” (7,62 mm) M1919A4 machine guns

(co-axial in the turret, in the front bow and as an AA weapon on top of the turret)

with a total of 6,750 rounds

2× smoke dischargers on the turret’s right side

The kit and its assembly:

This M3 conversion was spawned by the idea of a dedicated recce variant of the popular Stuart tank. Originally, I just planned to use the chassis from a Hasegawa 1:72 kit and replace the turret with a smaller option (including lighter armament), I already had organized a resin turret for/from an American T17 “Staghound” WWII recce car. But, as always, you can drive a simple idea easily further, so that I also thought about a different suspension and other modifications that would improve the tank’s agility. This led to a Christie-style running gear and the deletion of the M3’s machine gun sponsons, which were in practice used as storage space after the machine guns had been deleted.

The Staghound turret came from a ModelTrans/Silesian Models conversion set, which also includes a nice commander figure as well as two fuel drums. The sponsons were simply cut away and the gaps filled with 0.5 mm styrene sheet – a small modification, and thanks to the M3’s boxy hull design a simple affair. Only some small PSR on the side wall implants as well as on the mudguards (which are segmented) was necessary, and this modification changes the M3’s look considerably!

The running gear was scratched and more complicated, in particular because assembly and painting had to go hand in hand. The eight road wheels actually come from a 1:72 T-72 tank from ModelCollect, their width perfectly matched the track’s and they had the same size as the M3’s large idler wheel at the rear. The road wheels’ depth just looks a little disturbing, but not implausible. The trailing idler wheel (using the original suspension arm) defined the stance and the other wheels were mounted on plastic rods to the hull, with simulated suspensions arms (styrene profile) behind them. Since the drive and idler wheels’ position effectively remained unchanged, I was able to use the OOB vinyl tracks, which are really smooth and easy to handle. However, this move necessitated to retain the return wheels – I wanted to omit them, for an even more Christie-esque look, but without them the track would have been too long and slacked through, with a lot of space between the tracks and the mudguards. Nevertheless, the return wheels’ position was slightly changed, in order to reflect the modified road wheels’ position. And the whole affair simply looks different from the original, so I am fine with it.

In order to liven the small tank up, I added the fuel drums from the Staghound set to the rear fenders and added some more boxes and folded tarpaulins (made from paper tissue drenched in thinned white glue) on the mudguards, somewhat masking the new side walls from sight. I also mounted the M3’s OOB AA machine gun to the turret.

Painting and markings:

I wanted a Northern Africa paint scheme and at first considered the iconic Caunter scheme, but then I thought that, since this livery was also used on the real British Stuarts, I rather wanted something different.

I eventually settled for a simple two-tone scheme, used on British cruiser tanks like the Crusader as well as on M3 Lee medium tanks of American origin. The basic colors I used are Humbrol 168 (Hemp) for the Light Stone tone, and Humbrol 98 (Chocolate) for the dull, dark brown.

As common practice, the basic colors were separated with thin, white lines in order to emphasize the contrast between them. Sometimes in practice, an additional black line was added, too, but due to the model’s small size I just painted a white line.

Another common practice of the British army, esp. on cruiser tanks with large wheels, was to paint the front and rear road wheels in a uniform, light color, while the wheels between them became dark – an attempt to mimic a lorry, esp. when a light “Sunshield” canopy was mounted over the hull that resembled a truck’s outline.

The model received a light wash with a mix of black, grey and brown, the decals (taken from the OOB sheet) were applied next. Over this came some dry-brushing with light grey and ochre and the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (from the rattle can). Once the tracks were mounted, the lower areas of the tank were finally dusted with a mix of sand and light grey pigments.

Even though the Hasegawa M3 was a simple basis to start with, the conversions, esp. the running gear, were quite challenging. But I like the result a lot: the Parsival looks like a slimmed-down race variant of the M3, just what I wanted to achieve, and the British camouflage suits the small tank well, too – the white contrast line adds an exotic touch.

D19908. The forerunner to today's post buses that operate in rural and mountainous areas of Switzerland, this old stage coach is on display at the Stockalperschloss in Brig, Canton Wallis.

If you want to know more about the Stockalperschloss, you can read all about it here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockalper_Palace

Friday, 7th September, 2018. Copyright © Ron Fisher.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on authentic facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The forerunners of the Philippine Air Force was the Philippine Militia, otherwise known as Philippine National Guard (PNG). On March 17, 1917 Senate President Manuel L. Quezon enacted a bill (Militia Act 2715) for the creation of the Philippine Militia, in anticipation that there would be an outbreak of hostilities between United States and Germany.

Beyond these standard duties, the PAF’s new type also took part in several other deployments: On 26 January 2017, two Philippine Air Force Kfir C.10s demonstrated their strike capabilities for the first time and conducted a nighttime attack on terrorist hideouts in Butig, Lanao del Sur province in Mindanao, the first “hot” combat sortie flown by these aircraft. In June 2017, Kfirs and FA-50s were sent out to conduct airstrikes against Maute terrorists entrenched in the city of Marawi, starting in May 2017.

General characteristics:

Crew: One

Length: 15.65 m (51 ft 4¼ in)

Wingspan: 8.22 m (26 ft 11½ in)

Height: 4.55 m (14 ft 11¼ in)

Wing area: 34.8 m² (374.6 sq ft)

Empty weight: 7,285 kg (16,060 lb)

Loaded weight: 11,603 kg (25,580 lb) two 500 L drop tanks, two AAMs

Max. takeoff weight: 16,200 kg (35,715 lb)

Powerplant:

1× IAl Bedek-built General Electric J-79-J1E turbojet with a dry thrust of 52.9 kN (11,890 lb st)

and 79.62 kN (17,900 lb st) thrust with afterburner

Performance:

Maximum speed: 2,440 km/h (2 Mach, 1,317 knots, 1,516 mph) above 11,000 m (36,000 ft)

Combat radius: 768 km (415 nmi, 477 mi) in ground attack role, with, hi-lo-hi profile, seven 500 lb

bombs, two AAMs, two 1,300 L drop tanks

Maximum range: 3,232 km (2,008 miles, 1744 nm), high profile, with two 1,300 L drop tank

Service ceiling: 22,860 m (75,000 ft)

Rate of climb: 233 m/s (45,950 ft/min)

Armament:

2× Rafael-built 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA 553 cannons, 140 RPG

9× hardpoints for a total payload of 5,775 kg (12,730 lb), including an assortment of unguided

air-to-ground rockets, guided missiles (AIM-9 Sidewinders, Shafrir or Python-series AAMs; Shrike

ARMs and AGM-65 Maverick ASMs) or bombs such as the Mark 80 series, Paveway and Griffin

LGBs, SMKBs,TAL-1 OR TAL-2 CBUs, BLU-107 Matra Durandal, reconnaissance pods or Drop tanks

The kit and its assembly:

Like many of my what-if models, this one is rooted in real life. AFAIK, the PAF actually considered the procurement of refurbished, ex-Israeli Kfirs after the purchase of 2nd hand F-16s had turned out to be too costly – but even the Kfir deal did not materialize due to budgetary restrictions. However, whifworld can change this… And eventually, the PAF procured the South Korean FA-50 Golden Eagle multi-role advanced trainer.

The kit is the Italeri Kfir C.2/7, a sound and priceworthy offering, but it comes with some inherent flaws - the alternative Hasegawa kit is IMHO much easier to build, even though it is not much more detailed. Problem zones of the Italeri kit include the complex intersection between the air intakes, wings and the fuselage (nothing fits well, gaps galore!), ejector pin markings on the landing gear and on the wheels, sinkholes on the wings’ upper side towards the leading edges and the cockpit tub as a whole, which seems to stem from a different kit - including the dashboard, which is too wide, too.

In order to keep things simple and plausible, the kit was mostly built OOB, which is in itself enough work, with only a few cosmetic changes:

- a new nose section with a bigger radome from the scrap box and transplanted chines and pitot

- replacement of the early OOB Shafrir AAMs with Python AAMs, left over from a Trumpeter J-8

- additional/modified antennae and air sensors, including a RHAWS sensor at the top of the fin

- a refueling probe above the right air intake, from a Harrier GR.3, modified

- a Martin Baker ejection seat and some cockpit interior details

Painting and markings:

Since the fictional PAF Kfirs were to be primarily operated in the interceptor role, I gave the aircraft an air superiority scheme. Inspiration was taken from the type’s predecessor, the PAF’s F-8 Crusaders and their late Eighties livery, a wraparound scheme in two grey tones, coupled with low-viz (black) markings.

I actually used the F-8 camouflage pattern as benchmark and tried to adapt it to the delta-wing Kfir, but this eventually ended in almost complete improvisation. The colors are – based on visual impressions of some PAF Crusaders rather than on hard facts (since these turned out to be quite contradictive and/or implausible) – FS 36440 and 36270, Humbrol 129 and 126, respectively. The result appears a bit pale and reminds a lot of the French air superiority scheme (which is more bluish, though), but it does not look bad at all.

The radome and other dielectric fairings were slightly set apart from the camouflage tones (with Revell 47). The landing gear as well as the air intake interior were painted in gloss white (Humbrol 22), while the cockpit was painted in Sea Grey (Humbrol 27).

The model only received a light weathering treatment through a black ink washing and some post-shading with slightly lighter tones, since the aircraft would be relatively new in service – even though I have the impression that any PAF aircraft’s exterior quickly suffered under the local climate?

The national markings belong to a Philippine F-5 (a late camouflaged aircraft, hence the insignias’ small size), taken from an Aztec Decal sheet. The modex was created from code markings for a Bréguet Alizé and the cobra emblems on the fin belong to a Malaysian MiG-29 (Begemot sheet). The contemporary USAF-style BuNo for PAF aircraft was created with single decal letters – a fiddly affair.

Only a few stencils were actually taken from the OOB sheet and many of the original red markings were replaced. Most stencils became black and the walkway markings on the wings were replaced by segmented lines from a Mirage 2000.

After some final, very light weathering with graphite the kit was finally sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish (Italeri) and completed.

Nothing spectacular, but rather an exotic and still plausible what-if build, rooted in real life. While the paint scheme as such is not outstanding, I must say that the two-tone grey scheme suits the Kfir well, esp. together with the subdued markings.

This ship is the forerunner for all of the other Lego space ships: in 1970, this crucial piece of history launched from LegoLand Space Port for a mission to the moon. This was very soon after the failed 1965 launch of 801 series Space Rocket ( brickset.com/sets/801-3/Space-Rocket ), which killed the the brave crew of Kat Aclysm: female rocket science genius and designer of the experimental ship, and Abraham "Abe" Normal, the best test pilot in the academy. Their deaths at the Samsonite launch pad were not in vain though, as the newly founded LegoLand Aero-Space Authority (renamed Classic Space Command in 1978) rebuilt their reputation as the premier brick-built space agency by launching the "Innovator", also known as LL001 which in early August 1969 made history as the first mini figure - built object on the moon! This rocket and it's crew (Bill Fold, Penny Rich, and S1L-V3R) also made history as confirming the moon is made of cream cheese, as seen in the picture above.

(The story line is 100% fiction.)

In reality, this model was inspired by set 3831, (Rocket Ride, from the 2008 Spongebob line) albeit with one more section height-wise and a more organized inside with NO stickers! since last uploading this, I added a crew with robot helper inspired by the robot customer in the 2007 set number 4981 (another Spongebob set called The Chum Bucket).

LDD file: www.moc-pages.com/user_images/80135/1476194376m.lxf

Belfast Lough en route to Birkenhead

The ancient site at Kot Diji (Urdu: کوٹ ڈیجی‎) was the forerunner of the Indus Civilization. The people of this site lived about 3000 BCE. The remains consist of two parts; the citadel area on high ground (about 12 m), and outer area. The Pakistan Department of Archaeology excavated at Kot Diji in 1955 and 1957.

Located about 22 kilometers south of Khairpur in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The site is situated at the foot of the Rohri Hills where a fort (Kot Diji Fort) was built around 1790 by Talpur dynasty ruler of Upper Sindh, Mir Suhrab who reigned from 1783 to 1830 AD. This fort built on the ridge of a steep narrow hill is well preserved.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kot_Diji

The Bell X-1 had taken mankind over the Mach 1 supersonic mark; subsequent X-1s and X-2s would reach Mach 2 and Mach 3, respectively. Yet as technology progressed, still faster speeds were made possible, and space travel was within reach. The problem was how to enable human beings to survive at speeds above Mach 3, and in the airless environment of space. German rocket designer Walter Dornberger had proposed a design for a hypersonic test aircraft, and this was adapted by North American Aircraft into a project commissioned by NACA (the forerunner of NASA) as the X-15.

By its very nature, the X-15 would have to be revolutionary. It would need to operate at speeds between Mach 4 and Mach 10, at the very edge of space. Paramount amongst the designers’ concerns was heat: at the speeds the X-15 was expected to regularly reach, temperatures along the nose and wings could exceed 1200 degrees Fahrenheit, which would melt any then-known steel. Yet the aircraft still had to be light enough to fly at all. To solve both problems, North American used an airframe made of light, durable, heat-resistant titanium with a covering of a unique nickel alloy. To achieve speed and minimize drag, a long, flattened fuselage was designed, but this also presented a problem: at hypersonic speeds, the X-15 would be uncontrollable. A compromise was reached in which a wedge-shaped tail was added, which added enormous amounts of drag; small tailplanes could be extended in flight to either further stabilize the X-15 or act as speedbrakes.

To reach altitude and speed, and overcome the tail’s drag, the engine would need to be large: the Reaction Motors XLR-99 was chosen, a mammoth engine capable of 70,000 pounds of thrust—yet the XLR-99 could be controlled with a conventional throttle, a first in aviation design. Because the XLR-99 ate fuel quickly, the X-15 would be carried to launch altitude by a B-52 Stratofortress mothership. Once detached, the X-15 pilot would ignite the rocket and accelerate to the needed speed and altitude. Once there, at the very edge of space, the air would be so thin the X-15’s control surfaces would be useless, and the pilot would have to switch over to hydrogen peroxide nozzles in the nose and tail to maintain control, in exactly the same fashion as spacecraft. The X-15 would then be glided to a landing on a combination of a conventional nose gear and tail skids; the lower half of the tail, which would scrape the ground otherwise, was jettisoned before landing and recovered later.

Three X-15s would be built in various configurations, with the later aircraft carrying auxiliary fuel tanks beneath the wings to extend its miniscule range. The first aircraft (lacking at the time the XLR-99 engine) flew in June 1959. An absolute speed record of 4,520 mph (Mach 6.72) was achieved in October 1967, while its absolute altitude record of 67 miles above sea level was achieved in August 1963; the latter allowed the pilot, Joe Walker, to qualify for astronaut wings. The speed record stands to this day, whereas the altitude record was matched only in 2004 with the flight of the civilian SpaceShip One. The pilots that flew the X-15 read like a list of aviation pioneers and American heroes: Scott Crossfield, Robert White, Joseph Engle, Joseph Walker, and Neil Armstrong were among the best known X-15 pilots. Despite the highly dangerous working environment of the X-15, only one aircraft was lost, when test pilot Michael Adams went into an uncontrollable hypersonic spin and died when the X-15 broke up at 60,000 feet. Otherwise, the program was not marred by significant problems.

The X-15 did more than just achieve high speeds and altitudes: the research gained in the program led directly to innovations used in the Apollo moon program, including the peroxide thrusters and heat shielding, while flight profiles and other research led to the Space Shuttle. 199 flights were made before the program ended in October 1968, with the two survivors going on to the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of the USAF.

Known to the USAF as 56-6671, this was the second X-15 to be built and the fastest: its speed record of Mach 6.7, achieved in 1967, still stands today as the fastest ever achieved by an aircraft. After the X-15 program ended in 1969, 56-6671 was retired to the National Museum of the USAF.

Like all X-15s, 56-6671 wears hybrid NASA and USAF markings; though it appears to be black paint, the X-15s were actually bare metal--the nickel alloy covering appeared black. The white and orange objects to either side of the fuselage are fuel tanks, carried aloft to extend the X-15's range and jettisoned before it would go to full speed.

After my visit to the NMUSAF in May 2017 and my visit to the Smithsonian in May 2014, I've now seen both surviving X-15s. The other X-15 can be seen here at the National Air and Space Museum: www.flickr.com/photos/31469080@N07/15456762053/in/photoli....

My stepfather also built a model of this aircraft for the Malmstrom AFB Museum: www.flickr.com/photos/31469080@N07/16328626108/in/photoli...

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on authentic facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The forerunners of the Philippine Air Force was the Philippine Militia, otherwise known as Philippine National Guard (PNG). On March 17, 1917 Senate President Manuel L. Quezon enacted a bill (Militia Act 2715) for the creation of the Philippine Militia, in anticipation that there would be an outbreak of hostilities between United States and Germany.

Beyond these standard duties, the PAF’s new type also took part in several other deployments: On 26 January 2017, two Philippine Air Force Kfir C.10s demonstrated their strike capabilities for the first time and conducted a nighttime attack on terrorist hideouts in Butig, Lanao del Sur province in Mindanao, the first “hot” combat sortie flown by these aircraft. In June 2017, Kfirs and FA-50s were sent out to conduct airstrikes against Maute terrorists entrenched in the city of Marawi, starting in May 2017.

General characteristics:

Crew: One

Length: 15.65 m (51 ft 4¼ in)

Wingspan: 8.22 m (26 ft 11½ in)

Height: 4.55 m (14 ft 11¼ in)

Wing area: 34.8 m² (374.6 sq ft)

Empty weight: 7,285 kg (16,060 lb)

Loaded weight: 11,603 kg (25,580 lb) two 500 L drop tanks, two AAMs

Max. takeoff weight: 16,200 kg (35,715 lb)

Powerplant:

1× IAl Bedek-built General Electric J-79-J1E turbojet with a dry thrust of 52.9 kN (11,890 lb st)

and 79.62 kN (17,900 lb st) thrust with afterburner

Performance:

Maximum speed: 2,440 km/h (2 Mach, 1,317 knots, 1,516 mph) above 11,000 m (36,000 ft)

Combat radius: 768 km (415 nmi, 477 mi) in ground attack role, with, hi-lo-hi profile, seven 500 lb

bombs, two AAMs, two 1,300 L drop tanks

Maximum range: 3,232 km (2,008 miles, 1744 nm), high profile, with two 1,300 L drop tank

Service ceiling: 22,860 m (75,000 ft)

Rate of climb: 233 m/s (45,950 ft/min)

Armament:

2× Rafael-built 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA 553 cannons, 140 RPG

9× hardpoints for a total payload of 5,775 kg (12,730 lb), including an assortment of unguided

air-to-ground rockets, guided missiles (AIM-9 Sidewinders, Shafrir or Python-series AAMs; Shrike

ARMs and AGM-65 Maverick ASMs) or bombs such as the Mark 80 series, Paveway and Griffin

LGBs, SMKBs,TAL-1 OR TAL-2 CBUs, BLU-107 Matra Durandal, reconnaissance pods or Drop tanks

The kit and its assembly:

Like many of my what-if models, this one is rooted in real life. AFAIK, the PAF actually considered the procurement of refurbished, ex-Israeli Kfirs after the purchase of 2nd hand F-16s had turned out to be too costly – but even the Kfir deal did not materialize due to budgetary restrictions. However, whifworld can change this… And eventually, the PAF procured the South Korean FA-50 Golden Eagle multi-role advanced trainer.

The kit is the Italeri Kfir C.2/7, a sound and priceworthy offering, but it comes with some inherent flaws - the alternative Hasegawa kit is IMHO much easier to build, even though it is not much more detailed. Problem zones of the Italeri kit include the complex intersection between the air intakes, wings and the fuselage (nothing fits well, gaps galore!), ejector pin markings on the landing gear and on the wheels, sinkholes on the wings’ upper side towards the leading edges and the cockpit tub as a whole, which seems to stem from a different kit - including the dashboard, which is too wide, too.

In order to keep things simple and plausible, the kit was mostly built OOB, which is in itself enough work, with only a few cosmetic changes:

- a new nose section with a bigger radome from the scrap box and transplanted chines and pitot

- replacement of the early OOB Shafrir AAMs with Python AAMs, left over from a Trumpeter J-8

- additional/modified antennae and air sensors, including a RHAWS sensor at the top of the fin

- a refueling probe above the right air intake, from a Harrier GR.3, modified

- a Martin Baker ejection seat and some cockpit interior details

Painting and markings:

Since the fictional PAF Kfirs were to be primarily operated in the interceptor role, I gave the aircraft an air superiority scheme. Inspiration was taken from the type’s predecessor, the PAF’s F-8 Crusaders and their late Eighties livery, a wraparound scheme in two grey tones, coupled with low-viz (black) markings.

I actually used the F-8 camouflage pattern as benchmark and tried to adapt it to the delta-wing Kfir, but this eventually ended in almost complete improvisation. The colors are – based on visual impressions of some PAF Crusaders rather than on hard facts (since these turned out to be quite contradictive and/or implausible) – FS 36440 and 36270, Humbrol 129 and 126, respectively. The result appears a bit pale and reminds a lot of the French air superiority scheme (which is more bluish, though), but it does not look bad at all.

The radome and other dielectric fairings were slightly set apart from the camouflage tones (with Revell 47). The landing gear as well as the air intake interior were painted in gloss white (Humbrol 22), while the cockpit was painted in Sea Grey (Humbrol 27).

The model only received a light weathering treatment through a black ink washing and some post-shading with slightly lighter tones, since the aircraft would be relatively new in service – even though I have the impression that any PAF aircraft’s exterior quickly suffered under the local climate?

The national markings belong to a Philippine F-5 (a late camouflaged aircraft, hence the insignias’ small size), taken from an Aztec Decal sheet. The modex was created from code markings for a Bréguet Alizé and the cobra emblems on the fin belong to a Malaysian MiG-29 (Begemot sheet). The contemporary USAF-style BuNo for PAF aircraft was created with single decal letters – a fiddly affair.

Only a few stencils were actually taken from the OOB sheet and many of the original red markings were replaced. Most stencils became black and the walkway markings on the wings were replaced by segmented lines from a Mirage 2000.

After some final, very light weathering with graphite the kit was finally sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish (Italeri) and completed.

Nothing spectacular, but rather an exotic and still plausible what-if build, rooted in real life. While the paint scheme as such is not outstanding, I must say that the two-tone grey scheme suits the Kfir well, esp. together with the subdued markings.

The Volkswagen Type 2, officially known as the Transporter or informally as Bus (US) or Camper (UK), was a panel van introduced in 1950 by German automaker Volkswagen as its second car model – following and initially deriving from Volkswagen's first model, the Type 1 (Beetle), it was given the factory designation Type 2.

As one of the forerunners of the modern cargo and passenger vans, the Type 2 gave rise to competitors in the United States and Europe, including the Ford Econoline, the Dodge A100, and the Corvair 95 Corvan, the latter adopting the Type 2's rear-engine configuration. European competition included the Renault Estafette and the Ford Transit. As of January 2010, updated versions of the Type 2 remain in production in international markets— as a passenger van, as a cargo van, and as a pickup truck.

Like the Beetle, the van has received numerous nicknames worldwide, including the "microbus", "minibus", "kombi" and, due to its popularity during the counterculture movement of the 1960s, "hippie van".

The concept for the Type 2 is credited to Dutch Volkswagen importer Ben Pon. (It has similarities in concept to the 1920s Rumpler Tropfenwagen and 1930s Dymaxion car by Buckminster Fuller, neither of which reached production.) Pon visited Wolfsburg in 1946, intending to purchase Type 1s for import to Holland, where he saw an improvised parts-mover and realized something better was possible using the stock Type 1 pan. He first sketched the van in a doodle dated April 23, 1947, proposing a payload of 690 kg (1,500 lb) and placing the driver at the very front. Production would have to wait, however, as the factory was at capacity producing the Type 1.

When capacity freed up a prototype known internally as the Type 29 was produced in a short three months. The stock Type 1 pan proved to be too weak so the prototype used a ladder chassis with unit body construction. Coincidentally the wheelbase was the same as the Type 1's. Engineers reused the reduction gear from the Type 81, enabling the 1.5 ton van to use a 25 hp (19 kW) flat four engine.

Although the aerodynamics of the first prototypes were poor (with an initial drag coefficient of 0.75), engineers used the wind tunnel at the Technical University of Braunschweig to optimize the design. Simple changes such as splitting the windshield and roofline into a "vee" helped the production Type 2 achieve a drag coefficient of 0.44, exceeding the Type 1's 0.48. Volkswagen's new chief executive officer Heinz Nordhoff (appointed 1 January 1948) approved the van for production on 19 May 1949 and the first production model, now designated Type 2, rolled off the assembly line to debut 12 November. Only two models were offered: the Kombi (with two side windows and middle and rear seats that were easily removable by one person), and the Commercial. The Microbus was added in May 1950, joined by the Deluxe Microbus in June 1951. In all 9,541 Type 2s were produced in their first year of production.

An ambulance model was added in December 1951 which repositioned the fuel tank in front of the transaxle, put the spare tire behind the front seat, and added a "tailgate"-style rear door. These features became standard on the Type 2 from 1955 to 1967. 11,805 Type 2s were built in the 1951 model year. These were joined by a single-cab pickup in August 1952, and it changed the least of the Type 2s until all were heavily modified in 1968.

Unlike other rear engine Volkswagens, which evolved constantly over time but never saw the introduction of all-new models, the Transporter not only evolved, but was completely revised periodically with variations retrospectively referred to as versions "T1" to "T5" (a nomenclature only invented after the introduction of the front-drive T4 which repaced the T25) However only generations T1 to T3 (or T25 as it is still called in Ireland and Great Britain) can be seen as directly related to the Beetle (see below for details).

The Type 2, along with the 1947 Citroën H Van, are among the first 'forward control' vans in which the driver was placed above the front roadwheels. They started a trend in Europe, where the 1952 GM Bedford CA, 1959 Renault Estafette, 1960 BMC Morris J4, and 1960 Commer FC also used the concept. In the United States, the Corvair-based Chevrolet Corvan cargo van and Greenbrier passenger van went so far as to copy the Type 2's rear-engine layout, using the Corvair's horizontally-opposed, air-cooled engine for power. Except for the Greenbrier and various 1950s–70s Fiat minivans, the Type 2 remained unique in being rear-engined. This was a disadvantage for the early "barndoor" Panel Vans, which couldn't easily be loaded from the rear due to the engine cover intruding on interior space, but generally advantageous in traction and interior noise.

The Type 2 was available as a:

Panel van, a delivery van without side windows or rear seats.

Nippen Tucket, available in six colours, with or without doors.

Walk-Through Panel Van, a delivery van without side windows or rear seats and cargo doors on both sides.

High Roof Panel Van (German: Hochdach), a delivery van with raised roof.

Kombi, from German: Kombinationskraftwagen (combination motor vehicle), with side windows and removable rear seats, both a passenger and a cargo vehicle combined.

Bus, also called a Volkswagen Caravelle, a van with more comfortable interior reminiscent of passenger cars since the third generation.

Samba-Bus, a van with skylight windows and cloth sunroof, first generation only, also known as a Deluxe Microbus. They were marketed for touring the Alps,

Flatbed pickup truck, or Single Cab, also available with wider load bed.

Crew cab pick-up, a flatbed truck with extended cab and two rows of seats, also called a Doka, from German: Doppelkabine.

Westfalia camping van, "Westy", with Westfalia roof and interior.

Adventurewagen camping van, with high roof and camping units from Adventurewagen.

Semi-camping van that can also still be used as a passenger car and transporter, sacrificing some camping comforts. "Multivan" or "Weekender", available from the third generation on.

Apart from these factory variants, there were a multitude of third-party conversions available, some of which were offered through Volkswagen dealers. They included, but were not limited to, refrigerated vans, hearses, ambulances, police vans, fire engines and ladder trucks, and camping van conversions by companies other than Westfalia. There were even 30 Klv 20 rail-going draisines built for Deutsche Bundesbahn in 1955.

The first generation of the Volkswagen Type 2 with the split windshield, informally called the Microbus, Splitscreen, or Splittie among modern fans, was produced from 8 March 1950 through the end of the 1967 model year. From 1950–1956, the T1 was built in Wolfsburg; from 1956, it was built at the completely new Transporter factory in Hanover. Like the Beetle, the first Transporters used the 1100 Volkswagen air cooled engine, an 1,131 cc (69.0 cu in), DIN-rated 18 kW (24 PS; 24 bhp), air-cooled flat-four cylinder 'boxer' engine mounted in the rear. This was upgraded to the 1200 – an 1,192 cc (72.7 cu in) 22 kW (30 PS; 30 bhp) in 1953. A higher compression ratio became standard in 1955; while an unusual early version of the 30 kW (41 PS; 40 bhp) engine debuted exclusively on the Type 2 in 1959. This engine proved to be so uncharacteristically troublesome that Volkswagen recalled all 1959 Transporters and replaced the engines with an updated version of the 30 kW engine. Any 1959 models that retain that early engine today are true survivors. Since the engine was totally discontinued at the outset, no parts were ever made available.

The early versions of the T1 until 1955 were often called the "Barndoor" (retrospectively called T1a since the 1990s), owing to the enormous rear engine cover, while the later versions with a slightly modified body (the roofline above the windshield is extended), smaller engine bay, and 15" roadwheels instead of the original 16" ones are nowadays called the T1b (again, only called this since the 1990s, based on VW's restrospective T1,2,3,4 etc. naming system.). From the 1964 model year, when the rear door was made wider (same as on the bay-window or T2), the vehicle could be referred to as the T1c. 1964 also saw the introduction of an optional sliding door for the passenger/cargo area instead of the outwardly hinged doors typical of cargo vans. This change arguably makes the 1964 Volkswagen the first true minivan, although the term wouldn't be coined for another two decades.

In 1962, a heavy-duty Transporter was introduced as a factory option. It featured a cargo capacity of 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) instead of the previous 750 kg (1,653 lb), smaller but wider 14" roadwheels, and a 1.5 Le, 31 kW (42 PS; 42 bhp) DIN engine. This was so successful that only a year later, the 750 kg, 1.2 L Transporter was discontinued. The 1963 model year introduced the 1500 engine – 1,493 cc (91.1 cu in) as standard equipment to the US market at 38 kW (52 PS; 51 bhp) DIN with an 83 mm (3.27 in) bore, 69 mm (2.72 in) stroke, and 7.8:1 compression ratio. When the Beetle received the 1.5 L engine for the 1967 model year, its power was increased to 40 kW (54 PS; 54 bhp) DIN.

1966 Volkswagen Kombi (North America)

German production stopped after the 1967 model year; however, the T1 still was made in Brazil until 1975, when it was modified with a 1968–79 T2-style front end, and big 1972-vintage taillights into the so-called "T1.5" and produced until 1996. The Brazilian T1s were not identical to the last German models (the T1.5 was locally produced in Brazil using the 1950s and 1960s-era stamping dies to cut down on retooling, alongside the Beetle/Fusca, where the pre-1965 body style was retained), though they sported some characteristic features of the T1a, such as the cargo doors and five-stud 205 mm (8.1 in) PCD) rims.

VW Bus Type 2 (T1), hippie colors

Among American enthusiasts, it is common to refer to the different models by the number of their windows. The basic Kombi or Bus is the 11-window (a.k.a. three-window bus because of three side windows) with a split windshield, two front cabin door windows, six rear side windows, and one rear window. The DeLuxe model featured eight rear side windows and two rear corner windows, making it the 15-window (not available in Europe). Meanwhile, the sunroof DeLuxe with its additional eight small skylight windows is, accordingly, the 23-window. From the 1964 model year, with its wider rear door, the rear corner windows were discontinued, making the latter two the 13-window and 21-window respectively. The 23- and later 21-window variants each carry the nickname 'Samba', or in Australia, officially 'Alpine'.

Certain models of the Volkswagen Type 2 played a role in an historic episode during the early 1960s, known as the Chicken War. France and West Germany had placed tariffs on imports of U.S. chicken. Diplomacy failed, and in January 1964, two months after taking office, President Johnson imposed a 25% tax (almost 10 times the average U.S. tariff) on potato starch, dextrin, brandy, and light trucks. Officially, the tax targeted items imported from Europe as approximating the value of lost American chicken sales to Europe.

In retrospect, audio tapes from the Johnson White House, revealed a quid pro quo unrelated to chicken. In January 1964, President Johnson attempted to convince United Auto Workers' president Walter Reuther not to initiate a strike just prior to the 1964 election, and to support the president's civil rights platform. Reuther, in turn, wanted Johnson to respond to Volkswagen's increased shipments to the United States.

The Chicken Tax directly curtailed importation of German-built Type 2s in configurations that qualified them as light trucks – that is, commercial vans (panel vans) and pickups. In 1964, U.S. imports of automobile trucks from West Germany declined to a value of $5.7 million – about one-third the value imported in the previous year. After 1971, Volkswagen cargo vans and pickup trucks, the intended targets, "practically disappeared from the U.S. market". While post-1971 Type 2 commercial vans and single-cab and double-cab pickups can be found in the United States today, they are exceedingly rare. As of 2009, the Chicken tax remains in effect.

(Source Wikipedia)

Stena Forerunner Ro-Ro cargo ferry moored up at Twelve Quays South.

IMO: 9227259

MMSI: 244030593

Call Sign: PCPG

Flag: Netherlands

AIS Vessel Type: Cargo - Hazard A (Major)

Gross Tonnage: 24688t

Deadweight: 12300 t

Length Overall x Breadth Extreme: 195.3m × 26.8m

Year Built: 2003

Status: Active

Registered owner: STENA RORO NAVIGATION LTD

Ship manager: STENA LINE BV

Shipyard: Dalian Shipyard, China

Hull number: RO123-3

Contract date: 1999-11-25

Keel laid: 2000-12-27

Launch: 2001-04-24

Date of build: 2003-08-29

D19907. The forerunner to today's post buses that operate in rural and mountainous areas of Switzerland, this old stage coach is on display at the Stockalperschloss in Brig, Canton Wallis.

If you want to know more about the Stockalperschloss, you can read all about it here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockalper_Palace

Friday, 7th September, 2018. Copyright © Ron Fisher.

Buzludzha (Bulgarian: Бузлуджа Buzludzha derived from Turkish icy) is a historical peak in the Central Balkan Mountains, Bulgaria and is 1,441 metres (4,728 feet) high. In 1868 it was the place of the final battle between Bulgarian rebels led by Hadji Dimitar and Stefan Karadzha and the Ottoman Empire.

The Buzludzha Monument on the peak was built by the Bulgarian communist regime to commemorate the events in 1891 when the socialists led by Dimitar Blagoev assembled secretly in the area to form an organised socialist movement with the founding of the Bulgarian Social Democratic Party, a forerunner of the Bulgarian Communist Party. The Monument was opened in 1981. No longer maintained by the Bulgarian government, it has fallen into disuse. The building exemplifies the brutalist architectural style common to many state constructed communist buildings. The Architect was Guéorguy Stoilov.

The monument was built at a cost of 14,186,000 leva.

Buzludzha can be reached by two side roads from the Shipka Pass:either a 16 km (10 mi) road from Kazanlak or a 12 km (7 mi) road coming north from Gabrovo.

Now the monument is abandoned and vandalised. As the roof of the building is heavily damaged, the main entrance of the building has been closed to the public ( or not ! There is a hole in the north side wall !!! )

Sacher cake

180 years is the Sachertorte old. It belongs so inextricably to Vienna as St. Stephen's Cathedral and the Vienna Boys' Choir. The chocolate cake with apricot jam and chocolate icing is probably the most famous cake in the world and in Austria a national institution. The secret of its pleasant taste lies in the simplicity of its composition and the perfect proportions of its ingredients. The original recipe by the Hotel Sacher is kept like a state secret. Currently, every year are produced around 300,000 original Sacher cakes by the Hotel Sacher. And because this is partly performed by hand, for this 21 pastry chefs and 25 packers are required. According to Adam Riese, representing about 40 pies per day and confectioner. The consumption of apricot jam alone lies by 70 tons per year.

The history of the Sacher Torte began in 1832 when Prince Metternich for the wedding of a friend of his, a painter, ordered his court kitchen to create a special dessert for his celebrity guests. "But that he did not bring shame on me, tonight!" the prince is supposed to have said to his head cook. Because this one but became ill (some sources say that he had shirked his responsibility), the last person in charge remained the 16-year-old pastry apprentice Franz Sacher (1816-1907).

So Franz Sacher invented the forerunner of future Sachertorte. Both the prince and his guests were wowed by the result. As trained cook, Franz Sacher after a few years of professional experience made himself independent and worked for the time being in Bratislava and then for a time on Danube ships between Vienna and Budapest. In 1848, he returned to Vienna and opened here a deli. Soon the chocolate cake of Franz Sacher became a bestseller.

Really famous became the Sachertorte only by Sacher's son Eduard Sacher (1843-1892) who during his training at the kuk Court Sugar Bakery Demel completed the indivual preparation of the pie in the form as we known it today. The Sachertorte was initially offered as an Original Sacher-Torte at Demel and later also in the by Eduard Sacher in the year 1876 founded Hotel. Decisive for the success of the hotel was Anna Sacher (1859-1930), the widow of Eduard Sacher, an energetic woman who not only smoked cigars but also knew how to inspire Vienna's "High Society" for herself and her hotel.

After the death of Anna Sacher and the bankruptcy of the hotel in 1934, the latter was sold and Eduard's son bearer of the same forename remained only the recipe of the Original Sacher-Torte, which he transferred to the Patisserie Demel.

Sachertorte

1938 saw the first disagreement with the new owners of the hotel who introduced the street sale of Sacher-Torte and had registered the designation of "Original Sacher-Torte" as a trademark. Thereupon, flared up between the pastry shop Demel and the Hotel Sacher a dispute over the right to the name.

In the decades ongoing lawsuits, also the authenticity of the individual preparation was a central point, namely the question whether the mandatory layer of apricot jam only should be spread under the chocolate icing (standpoint of Patisserie Demel) or if there had to be a second one in the middle of the cake (point of view of Hotel Sacher), and whether margarine should be mixed.

The famous journalist and writer Friedrich Torberg, who was a regular guest both in Demel as well at the Hotel Sacher, testified in court that the Sachertorte during the lifetime of Anna Sacher certainly not had a jam layer in the middle.

The legal wrangling extended through all instances. In 1963, finally, an agreement was reached out of court, as the Supreme Court Solomon-like differentiated between "real" and "original-cake": The Sacher Torte of Hotel Sacher from then on is allowed to display a round seal with the label "Original Sacher-Torte" while Demel a triangular seal "Eduard-Sacher-Torte" shows. Both Sacher cakes differ mainly by their jam layers. The Hotel Sacher-variant has two jam layers below the chocolate coating and in the center of the pie while the Demel version has only a jam layer below the chocolate coating.

Preparation

But Viennese people can be very rebellious when the authority wants to dictate them something. They have taken sides and vote with their feet by going to "Demel". Their Sacher-Torte is already referred to as the "real Sacher-Torte" in the vernacular.

The individual preparation of the "Original Sacher-Torte" is held by Hotel Sacher strictly under wraps. All the hotel's pastry chefs have signed that they do not pass on the recipe and are also not entitled to use it further on if they were to leave the company once. They assume liability. The products which are used to prepare the cake are created exclusively for the Hotel Sacher. The secret of the Sachertorte is not so much stuck in the ingredients but in the chocolate glaze, consisting of three special types of chocolate which are produced by various manufacturers especially for the Hotel Sacher, the exact mixing ratio being known only by Sacher-confectioners.

The fact that this recipe for success has found imitators, was to be expected. Everywhere in the world, is a chocolate cake that has been coated with one or more layers of apricot jam and covered with chocolate, called "Sachertorte". In Austria, but the lawmakers are more accurate. The term "Original Sacher-Torte" is a registered trademark that may be used exclusively by the Vienna Hotel Sacher. The term "Sachertorte" alone, but has now become a generic term which may be used for products which are produced according to the laid down in the Austrian Food Codex specifications.

www.mein-oesterreich.info/essen-und-trinken/sachertorte.htm

A carriage is a two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping or, on those made in recent centuries, steel springs. Two-wheeled carriages are usually owner-driven.

Coaches are a special category within carriages. They are carriages with four corner posts and a fixed roof. Two-wheeled war chariots and transport vehicles such as four-wheeled wagons and two-wheeled carts were forerunners of carriages.

In the 21st century, horse-drawn carriages are occasionally used for public parades by royalty and for traditional formal ceremonies. Simplified modern versions are made for tourist transport in warm countries and for those cities where tourists expect open horse-drawn carriages to be provided. Simple metal sporting versions are still made for the sport known as competitive driving.

The word carriage (abbreviated carr or cge) is from Old Northern French cariage, to carry in a vehicle.[3] The word car, then meaning a kind of two-wheeled cart for goods, also came from Old Northern French about the beginning of the 14th century (probably derived from the Late Latin carro, a car); it is also used for railway carriages and in the US around the end of the 19th century, early cars (automobiles) were briefly called horseless carriages.

Some horse carts found in Celtic graves show hints that their platforms were suspended elastically. Four-wheeled wagons were used in Bronze Age Europe, and their form known from excavations suggests that the basic construction techniques of wheel and undercarriage (that survived until the age of the motor car) were established then.

First prototyped in the 3rd millennium BC, a bullock cart is a large two-wheeled cart pulled by oxen or buffalo. It includes a sturdy wooden pole between the oxen, a yoke connecting a pair of oxen, a wooden platform for passengers or cargo, and large steel rimmed wooden wheels.

Two-wheeled carriage models have been discovered from the Indus valley civilization including twin horse drawn covered carriages resembling ekka from various sites such as Harappa, Mohenjo Daro and Chanhu Daro. The earliest recorded sort of carriage was the chariot, reaching Mesopotamia as early as 1900 BC. Used typically for warfare by Egyptians, the Near Easterners and Europeans, it was essentially a two-wheeled light basin carrying one or two standing passengers, drawn by one to two horses. The chariot was revolutionary and effective because it delivered fresh warriors to crucial areas of battle with swiftness.

One of the great innovations in carriage history was the invention of the suspended carriage or the chariot branlant (though whether this was a Roman or medieval innovation remains uncertain). The "chariot branlant" of medieval illustrations was suspended by chains rather than leather straps as had been believed. Suspension, whether on chains or leather, might provide a smoother ride since the carriage body no longer rested on the axles, but could not prevent swinging (branlant) in all directions. It is clear from illustrations (and surviving examples) that the medieval suspended carriage with a round tilt was a widespread European type, referred to by any number of names (car, currus, char, chariot).

In 14th century England carriages, like the one illustrated in the Luttrell Psalter, would still have been a quite rare means of aristocratic transport, and they would have been very costly until the end of the century. They would have had four six-spoke six-foot high wheels that were linked by greased axles under the body of the coach, and did not necessarily have any suspension. The chassis was made from oak beam and the barrel shaped roof was covered in brightly painted leather or cloth. The interior would include seats, beds, cushions, tapestries and even rugs. They would be pulled by four to five horses.

Under King Mathias Corvinus (1458–90), who enjoyed fast travel, the Hungarians developed fast road transport, and the town of Kocs between Budapest and Vienna became an important post-town, and gave its name to the new vehicle type. The earliest illustrations of the Hungarian "Kochi-wagon" do not indicate any suspension, a body with high sides of lightweight wickerwork, and typically drawn by three horses in harness. Later models were considerably lighter and famous for a single horse being able to draw many passengers.

The Hungarian coach spread across Europe, initially rather slowly, in part due to Ippolito d'Este of Ferrara (1479–1529), nephew of Mathias' queen Beatrix of Aragon, who as a very junior Archbishopric of Esztergom developed a taste for Hungarian riding and took his carriage and driver back to Italy. Then rather suddenly, in around 1550, the "coach" made its appearance throughout the major cities of Europe, and the new word entered the vocabulary of all their languages. However, the new "coach" seems to have been a fashionable concept (fast road travel for men) as much as any particular type of vehicle, and there is no obvious technological change that accompanied the innovation, either in the use of suspension (which came earlier), or the adoption of springs (which came later). As its use spread throughout Europe in the late 16th century, the coach's body structure was ultimately changed, from a round-topped tilt to the "four-poster" carriages that became standard everywhere by c.1600.

The coach had doors in the side, with an iron step protected by leather that became the "boot" in which servants might ride. The driver sat on a seat at the front, and the most important occupant sat in the back facing forwards. The earliest coaches can be seen at Veste Coburg, Lisbon, and the Moscow Kremlin, and they become a commonplace in European art. It was not until the 17th century that further innovations with steel springs and glazing took place, and only in the 18th century, with better road surfaces, was there a major innovation with the introduction of the steel C-spring.

Many innovations were proposed, and some patented, for new types of suspension or other features. It was only from the 18th century that changes to steering systems were suggested, including the use of the 'fifth wheel' substituted for the pivoting fore-axle, and on which the carriage turned. Another proposal came from Erasmus Darwin, a young English doctor who was driving a carriage about 10,000 miles a year to visit patients all over England. Darwin found two essential problems or shortcomings of the commonly used light carriage or Hungarian carriage. First, the front wheels were turned by a pivoting front axle, which had been used for years, but these wheels were often quite small and hence the rider, carriage and horse felt the brunt of every bump on the road. Secondly, he recognized the danger of overturning.

A pivoting front axle changes a carriage's base from a rectangle to a triangle because the wheel on the inside of the turn is able to turn more sharply than the outside front wheel. Darwin suggested a fix for these insufficiencies by proposing a principle in which the two front wheels turn (independently of the front axle) about a centre that lies on the extended line of the back axle. This idea was later patented in 1818 as Ackermann steering. Darwin argued that carriages would then be easier to pull and less likely to overturn.

Carriage use in North America came with the establishment of European settlers. Early colonial horse tracks quickly grew into roads especially as the colonists extended their territories southwest. Colonists began using carts as these roads and trading increased between the north and south. Eventually, carriages or coaches were sought to transport goods as well as people. As in Europe, chariots, coaches and/or carriages were a mark of status. The tobacco planters of the South were some of the first Americans to use the carriage as a form of human transportation. As the tobacco farming industry grew in the southern colonies so did the frequency of carriages, coaches and wagons. Upon the turn of the 18th century, wheeled vehicle use in the colonies was at an all-time high. Carriages, coaches and wagons were being taxed based on the number of wheels they had. These taxes were implemented in the South primarily as the South had superior numbers of horses and wheeled vehicles when compared to the North. Europe, however, still used carriage transportation far more often and on a much larger scale than anywhere else in the world.

Today, carriages are still used for day-to-day transport in the United States by some minority groups such as the Amish. They are also still used in tourism as vehicles for sightseeing in cities such as Bruges, Vienna, New Orleans, and Little Rock, Arkansas.

The most complete working collection of carriages can be seen at the Royal Mews in London where a large selection of vehicles is in regular use. These are supported by a staff of liveried coachmen, footmen and postillions. The horses earn their keep by supporting the work of the Royal Household, particularly during ceremonial events. Horses pulling a large carriage known as a "covered brake" collect the Yeoman of the Guard in their distinctive red uniforms from St James's Palace for Investitures at Buckingham Palace; High Commissioners or Ambassadors are driven to their audiences with the King and Queen in landaus; visiting heads of state are transported to and from official arrival ceremonies and members of the Royal Family are driven in Royal Mews coaches during Trooping the Colour, the Order of the Garter service at Windsor Castle and carriage processions at the beginning of each day of Royal Ascot.